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Don't Forget - Valentine's Day Is Just Around The Corner
(This Card Available At City News)
Greetings from New London,

Thank you all for making our first Dinner Event at City News a big success. Great people, great food and wine, and great conversation - take a peek at the best seat in town.

Food Wine & LifeStyle of Tuscany

Many thanks to Ashley Turney and Chef Anne Haviland for a fabulous evening. Up coming City News Events will be annouced soon.

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New Events & Reminders:

The Garde Arts Center
presents
Winter Film Festival
Starts Wednesday February 11th 7:30 p.m.
FILM FESTIVAL

Oscar Time In New London

Every year the Garde Arts Center brings us Oscar nominated films on the Big Screen. Check out the schedule - save me a seat in the first row of the loge! Starts Wednesday February 11th 7:30 p.m.

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SPECIAL EVENT: He's Back.
Wednesday February 11 - 6 p.m.
Dinner with Eitenne Hugel
Only FOUR Seats Remaining.

We have been very fortunate to attract the biggest most famous names in the wine business. Eitenne is one of the most dynamic and personable guests we have ever hosted. His family has been making wine since 1639.

If you are familiar with our dinners you know they are intimate affairs and can not be compared to anything else. You will eat, drink, and hob-nob on a one-to-one basis with a wine making legend.

Seating is very limited - reserve now.
8 6 0 - 4 4 3 - 9 4 6 3

Having Dinner with Eitenne Hugel is an experience that will last a lifetime. Eitenne loves to serve his wine with Asian foods - here is the line up.

Menu:

Chicken Dim Sum
Shrimp with Ginger Butter
Korean Shortrib Kebab
Rack of Lamb with Hoisin ~ Orange Glaze
over Rice Noodles with Edamame and Scallion
Coconut Flan with Caramel Sauce

Wine List:
Hugel Gentil
Hugel Pinot Blanc Hugel Gewurztraminer
Hugel Grains Noble

$65 plus tax and service.

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coming soon:

2/25 German Wine Tasting with
Konrad Hahn proprietor of Von Schlenintz

3/2 Austrian Wine Dinner with Markus Huber of
Huber Vineyards

5/15 Sake Dinner with Chad Beverlin of
Vine Connections

The Friday Tasting - Please Join Us
Friday February 6 - 6-9 p.m. - No Charge

1 - Domaine Francois et antoine Jobard Meursault 1er Cru Pouzots 2004 $30


Chardonnay from one of the best villages in the Cotes d'Or. We bought this very well from the distributor so we can offer it for sale, not for the regular price of $80, but for only $30. Order Now








2 - Domaine La Manarine Cotes Du Rhone 2006 $15
Domaine La Manarine comprises 9.5 hectares of vineyards situated on what is known as the "Le Plan de Dieu".

For generations, this specific terroir has been recognized as unique. Recent research has identified the particular character of the underlying soil: a deep layer consisting of more than 60% hard limestone "galets" (large smooth pebbles). The climate is typically Mediterranean: relatively hot and dry with an average rainfall of between 600 and 800 mm per year.

The rains usually come in the form of thunderstorms in late August which provide the vines with the water necessary to finish the maturation process (which tends to shut down under stressful drought conditions). Grenache Noir is the main grape variety of the region. It performs particularly well on this type of soil and gives wines with more elegance and aroma than is otherwise common. Gilles has recently acquired one hectare of Syrah vines that will enter into the 2002 harvest which will then enable the Manarine wines to bear the appellation: Cotes du Rhone Villages Travaillan. Order Now


3 - Domaine Monpertuis Cotes Du Rhone 2007 $16

The Domaine de Monpertuis has been in the hands of the Jeune family for several generations. Each successor has added bits and pieces of vineyards to the expanding whole of the estate so that the current owner, Paul Jeune, is now the proprietor of the 10 acres of vines that are scattered amongst 32 separate parcels throughout the confines of Chateauneuf du Pape.

Jeune has the remarkable good fortune of having a majority of his vineyards planted to vines between 60 and 110 years of age.

The multiplicity of parcels spread across Chateauneuf imparts a classic character to the wines of Monpertuis, absorbing the nuances of each soil type of the appellation. Order Now


4 - Paolo Bea Montefalco Rosso 2004 $68

References in the archives of Montefalco, the beautiful hill town in Umbria, document the presence of the Bea family in this locality as early as 1500. This tiny estate is the classic Italian fattoria, producing wine, raising farm animals for trade and home consumption and working the land to produce olives, fruits and vegetables. To this day, the Bea family raises and produces much of what they consume on a daily basis. Paolo Bea, the senior member of the family at 72 years of age, is the guiding force behind the production of this series of intense and idiosyncratic wines. He is assisted by his two sons, Giuseppe, who farms the vineyards, and Giampiero, who assists in the vinification and is responsible for all commercial aspects of the winery.



The entire property encompasses 15 hectares: 5 of which are dedicated to the vineyards, 2 to olives, and the remainder to the fruits, vegetables and grains that are grown. Sagrantino is the predominant grape, covering 60% of the vineyard surface. The remaining 40% is planted to Sangiovese and Montepulciano, with a small parcel planted to several white varieties. The vineyards are cultivated virtually organic.

Order Now

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Thank you for supporting all of our venues and special events. There are lots of things on the way - stay tuned.

Many of you will be reading this over Super Bowl Weekend - we hope you win the big pool.

Please join us. It's fun, informal and a great way to start your weekend.

AAA.

St. Patrick's Day, Columbia Crest Reserve Syrah, Domaine Monpertuis Cuvee Counoise, Chateau Ducasse, Bio-Weingut Hofer Gruner Veltliner

Greetings From All Of Us In New London,
Thames River Greenery - 860-443-6817
Thames River Wine & Spirits - 860-443-9463
Brie & Bleu - 860-437-2474

NEW - Order and Shop on line twenty-four hours a day: http://www.thamesrivergreenery.com/

Our list of wine for Friday night is just below a couple of items of interest.
There are a couple of format problems with the text that we could not work out - so please bear with us, Jim is doing the best that he can to work it out for next week.


• We hope you are enjoying this St. Patrick's Day weekend - and if you still need a touch of green don't forget that New London's first annual St. Patrick's Day Parade will be held on Monday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. State Street will be closed to traffic from approximately 1:00p.m. - 1:45 p.m. as the parade makes it way up State Street to Hannifin's Pub across from the Garde Art Center. I don't think you will find a better place to celebrate than Hannifin's - it's been one big party from the day that they opened.

• Just a couple of seats left for our Italian dinner on Tuesday night. Our own Mama Mia - Anne Haviland will be in the kitchen creating a feast that celebrates sunny, southern Italy. Add to that perfectly paired wine with each course and you have a beautiful night on your hands. Remember that this is the new "open seating plan" - you may sit anywhere you like with whom ever you like. Our Wine Dinners have to be the best food and wine value in the United States - a great night to share with friends - please reserve early. 8 6 0 - 4 4 3 - 9 4 6 3.

• The Spanish Rioja Dinner on Wednesday April 4 - is Sold Out - thank you.

• Keep an eye on the Calendar of Events for the latest news on Wine Dinners and other special events: http://thames-river-wine-spirits.com/wine/calendar.html

• Thanks for your support - we appreciate it. And we are listening to all of the comments and suggestions that we get every week. We are working on all of your requests and comments - including: menu suggestions, wine by the glass comments, wine dinner ideas, & special guests - just to name a few. The upcoming months have lots of surprises planned - we can hardly wait.
AAA.



Wine Tasting Please Join Us
Friday March 21 - 6-9 p.m. - No Charge



wine tasting

Bio-Weingut Hofer Gruner Veltliner 2007 $12 In Big
Green 1 Liter bottles with a crown cap. Hofer is an
certified organic winery with farming practices that
exceed E.U. guidelines. The Gruner Veltliner they
produce is fermented Trocken (dry) in stainless steel,
the wine is crisp and bright with pronounced
grapefruit citrus. This is drinking wine. Simple and
Joyous summer wine that has shown up a little early.
Terry Theise on the subject "Just think about it:
you’re sitting in a leafy garden on a warm summer
evening with
friends, just chillin’ and schmoozin’ over plates of
cold-cuts, listening to the birds, glad to be alive.
You’d be happy if the wine you’re sluggin’ down were
merely pleasant; after
all, it’s not about the wine, it’s about something
larger in which wine plays a necessary part. But the
moment you taste the wine . . . Hey; this is good.
Suddenly life seems absolutely perfect, and you are
somewhere above your body, looking at the happy faces
of your friends and hearing the cheerful clamor of
plates, glasses and voices. You take another sip, and
rejoin the merriment. "

Chateau Ducasse Bordeaux Blanc 2006 $16 Ch. Ducasse
has come back to us after gone far too long. We found
this wine last September and used it for a few private
tastings and wine dinners. By the time we figured out
how good it was, it was gone. We got a whopping five
cases, for all of you who have been asking about
Ducasse, now is the time. From the Kermit Lynch
brochure, "Ducasse is a dry white from the noble
terroir of Barsac. Think of Yquem’s Y and
Suduiraut’s S. The finesse, complexity, and
flavor interest are comparable to a white
Graves. The old vines are 55% Semillon, 35% Sauvignon,
and 10% Muscadelle. There is a freshness and subtlety
to the bouquet, and an impression of depth. Depth as
opposed to superficiality. There is a
gunflint aspect, along with citrus perfumes like
citronelle and orange blossom. On the palate too,
freshness, liveliness, depth, while the finish
mirrors the wine’s exquisite bouquet. "

Domaine Monpertuis Cuvee Counoise 2005 $14 I found
this in a restaurant in Brooklyn last week, and was so
pleased that I ordered three cases for the store from
the table. Monpertruis, I've had their Cote du Rhone
and their Neuf du Pape but 100% Counoise , Get Out !
It was perfect with the duck confit and the mushrooms
and celery root puree appetizers, and it transitioned
perfectly into the hanger steaks. Full bodied and
weighty, dark fruit and distinctly French. Tired of
Carmenere? think Malbec is passe and Tannat is so last
week? Here's some Counoise for you.

Columbia Crest Reserve Syrah 2004 $18 The Reserve
series from Columbia Crest often gets overlooked, but
these have remained one of the best wine values for
years. And now more so. The Reserve Syrah took a "deep
post" this month, that is to say the distributor put
the wine on sale to make room for the next vintage.
This has allowed us to sell a $24 for $18, whose your
buddy now?