Cocktail Country: Gin Gimlet

Gin Gimlet

* 2 oz Bulldog Organic Gin

* 1 3/4 oz Rose's lime juice

* Lime for garnish 

Pour the ingredients into a mixing glass with ice cubes.

Stir well.Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Sips and Tips Tasting (Bergenfield, South Plainfield and Hackettstown Stores)

As vacation season 2013 draws to a close and we all try to grab a last taste of the Summer, we've lined up 4 selections that would make for a great season send-off via your deck...pick up a couple of each of these and invite the neighbors...you'll be the wine all-star of the neighborhood!

J Lohr Vineyards and Wines

As one of the pioneering winemakers of California's Central Coast, Jerry Lohr in 1972 unveiled his first vineyard in the Arroyo Seco appellation of Monterey County, an area reknowned for having the state's longest growing season because of it's cooler heat index, providing the perfect conditions for the development of world-class Pinot Noir and Riesling.

J Lohr Bay Mist White Riesling

With an inviting honeysuckle aromatic, this clean and bright selection would make for an excellent apertif as its rich fruit fills the tongue with flavor.  That honeysuckle smoothly transitions into a touch of lycee fruit, with a tangerine essence and the pulpiness of blood orange citrus.  Consider this an ideal choice for Thai Chicken, Teriyaki-Grilled Vegetable Skewers, or the season-ending toast to another great Summer!

J Lohr Falcon's Perch Pinot Noir

Named for the Falcon that inhabits the lone Pine Tree in the vineyard, this delicious selection is a classic example of the potential Monterey has for producing versatile and richly-flavored Pinot Noir that can relate to delicate or full-flavor wine consumer.  The exuberance of the pulpy cherry fruit is enhanced by blending 24% Valdigue, or Napa
Gamay grape, a very fruit forward variety, while the richness and depth are due in large part to the Pommard and Dijon clones of Pinot Noir used in the vineyard, two French varieties of Pinot Noir well-known for their fuller body and flavor.

This Pinot is rich enough for grilled tender meats, but would pair best with grilled Alaskan King Salmon.

Carmen Winery of Chile

Founded in 1850, Carmen was Chile's first wine producer, maintaining a continuous production history of 160 years and sold in 50 countries around the world.  A landmark in its prodigious history was the 1994 rediscovery of Carmenere in Carmen's Merlot vineyards.  That discovery changed the course of Chile's wine industry, giving it a wine which is distinctly its own.

Carmen Gran Reserva Chardonnay

This is a Chardonnay lover's dream...slightly oaked nose with a nice dose of inviting vanilla, butterscotch, and figgy spice.  The flavor delivers a big texture of dried fruit flavors and ripe pineapple, with the juicy tropical acidity to balance the touch of creaminess on the finish.  Pair this with a big Summer grill food like Swordfish Steaks.  It will stand up to the best of Napa Carneros' Chardonnays at twice to three times the price!

Carmen Gran Reserva Carmenere

Considered to be a Cabernet-family variety, Carmenere was traditionally part of the blends of the best Bordeaux wines.  Today, it is almost exclusive to Chile, having been mistaken for a Merlot clone for a long time...until it was isolated in 1994 at Carmen Winery, it is believed that this variety is what made Chilean Merlot so unique.  This wine is the perfect grill match for the Aussie or Napa Cab lover...Full body, brambly, wild, diverse fruit flavors, hints of clove and bell pepper, and a touch of earthiness that lends beautiful character.  While it certainly matches to big grill meats, it also generates such great aromatics and flavors that it can be savored on its own...think cool late summer evening, with the first nip of Fall in the air!

El Buho Mezcal Cocktail Tasting

El Buho Mezcal Cocktail Tasting!

See how this high quality liquor mixes and matches at this upcoming event.

Wine Country Bergenfield  August 16th 5:00 - 8:00PM

Wine Country South Plainfield August 17th 6:00 - 9:00 PM

THE SMOKY PALOMA:

El Buho Mezcal

San Pellegrino Pomelo Soda

Pink Grapefruit

Lime Juice

Created By Toby Cecchini

THE NIGHT OWL:

El Buho Mezcal

Pickett's Ginger Beer

Serve as a Punch With Lemon Wheels

    Created By John Henry 

Summertime Rosé

For those of you that visited our stores this weekend, you may have tasted Artazu Garnacha Rose. What a truly little gem of a wine. A beautiful pink hued wine that is crisp, refreshing and dry and oh so balanced...You wouldn't believe how many people tossed it back like a shot of liquor. This one was not sipped and analyzed, just enjoyed. Most everyone asked for more. Remember, we offer wine tasting samples in store... not an open bar. We are only permitted by ABC law to offer samplings. Sorry.

But for those who missed it, we have plenty in stock till the end of summer. It's a great wine to have on hand.

I happened to take a bottle to my friend's pool party/ BBQ yesterday. There were a bunch of craft beer guys with absolutely no interest in even looking at my pink colored wine. But, their wives paid close attention to the Artazu Garnacha Rose as it was chilling down in a plastic sand pail with ice.

Once opened, it went in a split. I explained the qualities of fine rosé, we talked about the inviting bouquet of rose petals and the hints of strawberries and red raspberries. The wine was so well balanced and totally refreshing. The women were so into it. The guys didn't care but the ladies now know and understand how a good rosé works.

Mention this blast and get 25% off. It's a great deal.

-Scott

Sips and Tips: Delicious Summer Selections

Try Something New!

Artazu “Artazuri”  Garnacha Rose - $9.99Summertime is truly the perfect time for Rose, a pink-colored wine that results from a partial amount of red-grape skin contact at the time of fermentation, allowing just a splash of color into the resulting wine.  In America, most of us expect to taste a sweet wine like White Zinfandel when we see “pink” in a glass, but Rose is traditionally dry, and in many cases, too dry.  The key is balance!  Artazuri is produced in Navarra, the North Central Spanish region that is one of the world's most notable places for Rose and for the grape Garnacha, or as most of us call it, Grenache.  This gorgeous rose sports an inviting bouquet of rose petals and strawberries, red fresh-picked red raspbberries and more strawberries in the flavor, and a pleasing “roundness” in the overall mouth feel, Serve this with a bit of chill, and it will compliment any of the huge diversity of outdoor foods.  One of our managers loves it on its own, but also suggests creating a Sangria cocktail by the glass: rim your glass with some course sugar, pour in the Artazuri Rose, drop in a slice of orange and a couple of red raspberries, then add a splash of triple sec...now THAT sounds good!

Hangtime Arroyo Seco Central Coast Chardonnay - $12.99This is such a great area for a uniquely fresh expression of this vastly popular grape.  The name Hangtime refers to the time that the fruit stays on the vine before harvest...the longer grapes can stay on the vine without getting too ripe, the more flavor and complexity they can achieve.  The Arroyo Seco, located near the cool Santa Lucia Mountains, boasts on of California's longest growing seasons.  This Chardonnay is just EASY, with delicious tropical fruit essence in the upfront aroma and more of the same, as promised, in the flavor.  There is the slightest hint of spice from a small bit of oak contact during fermentation, but this wine would be perfect both for the Chardonnay lover and for the Chardonnay fan who is tired of too much woodiness in the many overly-oaked versions.  With its delicateness of body and refreshing character, we think you'll have the Pinot Grigio crowd swooning for this one!

Franco Amoroso Barbera d'Alba - $11.99Alba is in the area of Italy known as Piedmont, in the far Northwest, bordering on 3 sides with the Alps, influencing the climate with very cool temperatures.  The most famous wine of this area is Barolo, which has typically out-competed Barbera for attention.  Lately, Barbera is gaining great notice for offering a delightful bright fruit, a soft tannin and the lively acidity to balance flavorful food dishes, not to mention a price point that  is typically a quarter-the-price of good, “aged-enough-to-enjoy” Barolo.  If you ask thePiedmont winemakers, they'll  tell you that this is the wine they have on their table every night, while they wait for their prized Barolo and Barbaresco to mature.  This savory red has a slightly earthy and rustic bouquet, with some juicy pomegranate and cranberry notes in the flavor, finished off with a bit of cinnamon spice.  Pair this with a smoked game bird, like wild pheasant...if you have a hankering for a light Summer stew, this is a perfect match!

Franco Amoroso Moscato d'Asti - $11.99Moscato, the same grape they use to make Asti Spumante, but this style has much less bubble to it.  True Moscato d'Asti has 5 to 8 percent alcohol, a delicate sweet flavor of white peaches and lycee fruit and the type of bubble that you feel more on your tongue than you see in the glass.  A full spumante, whether dry or sweet, achieves its bubble from a longer fermentation that is enclosed, trapping the carbonation in the wine.  The frizzante-styled wines undergo a shorter closed fermentation, locking in a smaller amount of carbonation, producing a lighter concentration of alcohol, and also leaving some residual sugar that did 't get eaten up by the yeast.  What does that add up to?  The perfect wine to “Beat the Heat”...easy to quaff, delicate sweetness, and enough tartness on the after taste to balance that whipped cream on those fresh strawberries you just served in a bowl!

Cocktail Country - Brooklyn Gin Martini Drink Recipe

Brooklyn Gin Martini

• 2 ¼ oz Brooklyn Gin

• ¾ oz dry vermouth

• 1 dash orange bitters

Directions: Stir with ice in a mixing glass, and serve in a champagne coupe  or cocktail glass with a thin peel of lemon twisted over the glass. Or, if you prefer a bit of dirtiness to your martini, add a slice of salt preserved lemon.

Wine Country Monday Morning Shoppers

Hello Everyone,

This past Saturday we had several of our “Wines For Summer” opened for sampling in all 9 Wine Country locations. We showcased St Francis Red Splash, St Francis White Splash, Amalaya Torrontes Riesling and Via Dei Milleri Prosecco. The overall comments for each of the wines were very encouraging. However, the most popular wine by a huge margin was the Prosecco. It could have been the weather, could have been the style, could have been your mood and just might have been the tremendous flavor and fun style of this Italian Prosecco.

I am telling you that this is a real winner.

We became aware of its potential several weeks ago when it was the 2nd most popular wine (out of 49 wines) sold at an event we did at the Elks club in Bergenfield. Then again, it turned out to be one of the most popular wines sold at the LBIF Art Foundation Event we orchestrated on LBI where we had 59 wines presented.

This weekend, we sold a good amount in several stores.

More will be ordered to replenish our stock.

This wine could be this summers celebration bubbly of choice. Easily The best value in the category. Clean, Sparkling and Refreshing. Prosecco’s are hot and this is our hottest by far...

I will share with you that this coming Saturday my son returns from sleep away camp.... My wife and I will be celebrating his return along with a bottle of Via Dei Milleri Prosecco.

We have a 25% off coupon in our Summer Flier to use if you would like.... our just mention this notice.

-Scott

"Taste of the Craft" Beer Tasting - Wine Country South Plainfield