Weekly Wine Tastings

August 13th-14th, 2010

Please join us for our FREE Wine and Beer Tastings  - Friday from 3-7 pm and Saturday 1-6; this week we are tasting:

WINE 

This week we're focusing our attention on wines from Italy, in honour of the annual "Palio di Siena" which will take place on Monday. The common wisdom is that tasting Italians wines without food is a bit of a fools errand, that most Italian wines, like opera, are either too big or too "Old World" in style to be appreciated on their own merits. We respectfully disagree.

This week's selections hail from all over "The Boot" and are priced to be the perfect tipple for year round enjoyment, with or without food. So stop in and put all of those notions about Italian wines to rest.

So what's the "Palio di Siena? Simply put, it's a horse race. Known as "Il Palio" to the locals, the race is held twice each year on July 2 and August 16 in the city of Siena, Italy. The race usually fields only ten horses and riders who ride bareback and are dressed in the colours of ten of the seventeen Contrade, or city wards.

The race circles the Piazza del Campo, on which a thick layer of dirt has been laid, three times and usually lasts no more than 90 seconds. It is not uncommon for a few of the jockeys to be thrown off their horses while making the treacherous turns in the piazza, and indeed it is not unusual to see unmounted horses finishing the race without their jockeys. The Palio in fact is won by the horse who represents his contrada, and not by the jockeys. A horse who wins without a jockey is described as winning scosso. A magnificent pageant, the Corteo Storico, precedes the race, which attracts visitors and spectators from around the world.

2008 Rosso di Montalcino, Casanova di Neri
Rossi di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy
A blend of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Colorino. Bold and expansive on the palate, the wine offers compelling notes of dark cherries, smoke and tar with outstanding depth and terrific overall balance.
Bottle: $25.99 Special: $23.39 Case: $22.09

2009 Verde Vino Frizzante, Guelfo
Marche, Italy
Made from the 30% Verdicchio and 70% Chardonnay grapes. Offering a kiss of natural carbonation, the wine show light and fresh with notes of ripe fruit flavors that carry through to the palate. It retains a natural effervescence with clean straw yellow and greenish hues.
Bottle: $10.99 Special: $9.89 Case: $9.34

2009 "Streppaticcio," Casa Vinocola Barbi
Umbria, Italy
Made from a blend of Montepulciano and Sangiovese the wine offers up sweet scents of tobacco, wild cherries, herbs and graphite on a medium to full-bodied frame.
Bottle: $12.99 Special: $11.69 Case: $11.04

2009 "Asso," Molino Sant' Antimo
Tuscany, Italy
Composed of 100% Sangiovese, the wine displays a ruby/garnet colour with ripe black cherry, plum, and tar aromas. Medium bodied, it shows nicely integrated, firm, ripe tannins with a well rounded style and good definition and depth.
Bottle: $11.99 Special: $10.79 Case: $10.19

BEER

This weekend's beer tasting is dedicated to the memory of Joe Strummer who would have been 58 this Saturday.

Red Sky at Night
Heavy Seas/Clipper City Brewing (Baltimore, MD)
This is a potent and spicy ale with deep complexity brewed in the style of Belgian farmhouse ales. It uses a unique Belgian yeast and authentic Belgian candi sugar. Pairs well with Thai cuisine and mussels.7.5% Alc./Vol.
Regular: $10.99 6pk Special: $9.89 6pk.

Hoppe - Extra Pale Ale
Southern Tier Brewing (Lakewood, NY)
"The simplicity of Hoppe tests the skill and ability of the brewer to create something truly majestic. Hoppe is spawned of these few essentials: barley, wheat, hops, yeast and water. This limited palette is an exercise in minimalism, with refined elements which are deliberately selected. This simple combination creates a golden shimmering brew infused with delicate aromas. The artful nature of this beer is exposed with the first taste. As the malt and hops create a composition of flavors, an elegant finish leaves an impression that your tastes will not soon forget. "8.3% Alc./Vol.
Regular: $7.49 22oz Special: $6.74 22oz.

Rugbrød
The Bruery (Placentia, CA)
Meaning "rye bread" in Danish, the inspiration for this beer comes from the Danes' staple dark, whole-grain rye bread. Brewed with three types of rye malt, this robust brown ale showcases the earthy, spicy character of the grain, complemented by bready, nutty barley malts and a hint of roast. Loosely based on the Scandinavian Christmas beer or "Julebryg" tradition, this beer is perfect for the colder weather of winter, although it will be available year-round (because who doesn't love a dark beer now and again, regardless of weather?) And don't worry about the name, we can't pronounce it either! 8% Alc./Vol.
Regular: $10.99 750ml Special: $9.89 750ml

View tastings archive