Upcoming Beer & Wine Tastings September 28-29
Please join us at the i.m.Wine tasting bar every Friday and Saturday from 1-7pm; this week we are tasting:
2006 Catalina Sounds Sauvignon Blanc, (Marlborough, New Zealand)
This is an exciting new property from up and coming winemaker Ant Moore. When he was in the shop a few weeks ago we were so impressed with him and his wines, we just knew we had to feature both his Pinot Noir and his Sauvignon Blanc. This wine shows a brilliant pale straw color with lots of ripe aromas of passion fruit, citrus, fresh fruit salad, and floral spice. The palate offers up rich, ripe flavors of grapefruit, lemon grass, and gooseberry flavors with a soft mouth feel, with underlying acid that gives length and a clean finish.
Food Pairings: Roast Chicken, Asian Cuisine
Price: $16.99 Special Price: $15.29 Case Price: $14.44
2006 Catalina Sounds Pinot Noir (Nelson, New Zealand)
This wine is not as rich and robust as an Aussie red, nor should it be. It is a good example of how pinot noir can be powerful and yet restrained all at the same time, and therein lays its charm. A soft ruby red in color, with a hint of brown earth around the edges, with a lovely bouquet of berry fruits and white pepper, with earth, spice and some truffle, savory characters. A fine palate of medium weight, with lovely fruit upfront and savoury flavours on the mid palate and supple, fine tannins on the finish. This wine has a classic linear structure, with somewhat restrained fruit and a tannin derived backbone that is subtle yet strong.
Food Pairings: Duck, Salmon, Roast Chicken
Price: $19.99 Special Price: $17.99 Case Price: $16.99
2006 Bonarda, Colonial Las Liebres, Altos Los Hormigas (Mendoza, Argentina)
Although originally an Italian grape variety from Piedmont and the Oltrepo-Pavese region, the Bonarda grape has enjoyed much greater success in the rich soils and generous climate of Argentina, where it is one of the main grape varieties grown.
A Wine Spectator Best Value, the wine is dense, inky, and purple, with a rustic, hearty juiciness, ripe acidity, and warm tannins, perfect for any meal and barbeques.
Food Pairings: Bbq, Roast Chicken, Pizza
Price: $8.99 Special Price: $8.09 Case Price: $7.64
2005 Domaine Charvin “Le Poutet” Cotes-du-Rhone (Rhone Valley, France)
Robert Parker has said of this wine and winemaker, “Le Poutet might be the sleeper of the vintage, and Domaine Charvin produces one of the most elegant and sublime Chateauneuf du Papes of the area . In short, the wines most closely resemble the finesse of Chateau Rayas when it was made by the late Jacques Reynaud. A real value from this estate…a wonderful introduction to the style of the winemaking and is essentially a down-sized version of their Chateauneuf du Pape.” This is a blend of 80% Grenache, no de-stemming giving the wine depth and structure while maintaining finesse. A dense ruby/plum color and a gloriously scented nose of kirsch liqueur intermixed with a bit of cedar, spice, and flowers. There are no secrets here, simply old vines, very low yields and minimal winemaking intervention.
Food Pairings: Roast Lamb, Grilled Meats/Veg
Price: $19.99 Special Price: $17.99 Case Price: $16.99
2005 Lirac, “La Reine Des Bois”, Dom. De la Mordoree (Rhone Valley, France)
From the brilliant Rhône vintner Christophe Delorme, Robert Parker gave this wine 90-93 points. He calls it, “superb, with a dense purple color and a beautifully sweet nose of blackberries, licorice, smoke, and acacia flowers. The wine is deep, full-bodied, with tangy acidity, moderately high tannins, and tremendous texture and length. This is a serious wine that could compete with some of the finest Chateauneufs.”
The intensity of flavor packed into 'Dame Rousse' is due in large part to the health of the biodynamically farmed grapes, which were raised in a meticulous 40-year-old vineyard.
Food Pairings: Lamb, Roast Chicken
Price: $29.99 Special Price: $26.99 Case Price: $25.49
2003 Merlot/Cab Franc “Shovel Blanc” Two Hands Vineyards (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Robert Parker called this wine, “One of the most successful Merlot (70%) and Cabernet Franc (30%) blends outside of Bordeaux.” The wine exhibits abundant amounts of cranberry, cherry, and red currant-like fruit, good spice, a subtle integration of wood, fine elegance, and a medium-bodied finish.
Food Pairings: Roasts, Lamb, Strong Cheeses
Price: $43.99 Special Price: $39.59 Case Price: $37.30
2004 William Randell Shiraz (Barossa Valley, Australia)
This wine is the flagship of the Thorn-Clarke range - the William Randell Shiraz. Named in honour of a family descendant who built and captained paddle steamers on the River Murray last century, this wine can rightfully claim super-premium status. Robert Parker gave this wine 92 points and said, “Readers looking for an Australian imitation of a Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa should check out Thorn-Clarke’s 2004 Shiraz William Randell. Huge, minty, black cherry, and blackberry aromas jump from the glass of this intense red. It bears an unreal resemblance to some of the pre-1985 vintages of Heitz Martha’s Vineyard. Full-bodied, with moderate tannin, and an extremely long finish, it will be even better with 2-3 years of bottle age, and should last for 15 plus.”
Food Pairings: Lamb, Grilled Meats, Stews
Price: $41.99 Special Price: $37.79 Case Price: $35.69
 Beer Tastings
Oktoberfest and beer! The two are rightfully synonymous but few people outside of Munich know the specifics of the celebration. In 1810 the Crown Prince of Bavaria, Ludwig I, commissioned all of the Munich breweries to develop a new style of beer to commemorate his wedding on the 12th of October. The beer was so good that the party lasted for nearly two weeks and “Oktoberfest” was born. As the years pasted the anniversaries of the wedding celebration evolved into the more modern Oktoberfest we’re used to seeing, until today were it is attended by over 6 million people each year, consuming over 6 million liters of beer. Every festival begins with a keg of beer being tapped by the Mayor of Munich who declares "O'zapft is!" (Bavarian: "It’s tapped!"). Traditionally the beer is a special version of Märzenbier or Märzen is brewed for the occasion, which is slightly darker and stronger, in both taste and alcohol. It is served in a one-liter-tankard called Maß or “mass” with the first being served to the Bavarian Minister-President. So in honor of Oktoberfest please stop by and try our selections of traditional and not so traditional brews for the celebration. Anfeuerungen (to your health)!
Paulaner “Salvator” Doppelbock
The Doppelbock style of beer was first brewed at the monastery of St. Francis of Paula, hence the name “Paulaner”, in 1634! Pleasant aromas of caramel, molasses, dark fruits, and toasted malts. Flavor is moderately sweet and full bodied with toffee, caramel, brown sugar, and a hint of raisins with a clean and crisp finish.
Ayinger Märzen Oktoberfest
Aying has a long-standing reputation for excellence in beer and hospitality dating back to 1878 when the brewery was founded in a picturesque village 25 kilometers from Munich. Unlike the mass-market brewers, Ayinger uses a significant portion of locally-grown barley and wheat to produce their beers. A full-bodied, flavorful Märzen beer with a rich, golden color, slightly sweet, malty nose, and a medium to big body and alcohol. A pleasant soft dryness on the finish from long maturation.
Spaten Oktoberfest
Spaten Oktoberfest Beer, created in 1872, is supposedly the world's first Oktoberfest beer. Amber in color, this medium bodied beer has achieved its impeccable taste by balancing the roasted malt flavor with the perfect amount of hops. Having a rich textured palate with an underlying sweetness true to tradition.
Stoudt’s Brewing Co. Oktoberfest
Stoudt's Brewery is Pennsylvania's first micro brewery, located in the Lancaster County borough of Adamstown. Stoudt's Brewery was started in 1987 by Ed and Carol Stoudt. Since its opening it has won dozens of medals at the Great American Beer Fest each year. This traditionally styled Oktoberfest amber lager elegantly combines a medium body with a touch of malty sweetness with a pleasingly subtle aromatic hop character.
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