Celebrate fall with a bottle of Rib Shack Red

As the warmer weather ebbs and flows and Halloween is just around the corner, we get to usher in sweaters and jackets and the shift toward those hearty, fuller-bodied reds that just didn’t fit the bill a few steamy weeks ago. The last few 70+ degree days should allow you to be giving your grill a special workout over the next few weeks.

Our wine of the week has been a surprisingly popular wine over the past month. Quite by accident. We carried this wine earlier in the year, but it certainly was not setting any sales records. The first break in the warm weather brought calls for it’s hasty return.

RIB SHACK RED is a red blend from the Western Cape growing region of South Africa. It is a blend of 70% pinotage and 30% shiraz. Medium to full-bodied, fairly plush and round. Dark red and purple fruits with notes of bing cherry, a hint of coffee, a touch of dark chocolate, with a dollop of tar and tobacco rounded out with black pepper and a spicy, smokey barrel finish. RSR pairs perfectly with BBQ ribs (really?), filet mignon with fresh cracked black pepper and sea salt or spicy grilled chicken.

Pinotage was a grape bred out of near necessity in 1925 by South African professor Abraham Isak Perold of the University of Stellenbosch. It is a cross of pinot noir and consult grapes. Pinot noir is tough to grow, but packs in a nice amount of aroma and flavor.  Cinsault is a more reserved, hardy grape that is resistant to disease and a prolific grower. Cinsault was for many years called “Hermitage” in South Africa, hence the blending of the name pinotage. Hermitage is a grape growing region in Rhone, France. Interestingly enough, the first commercial winery to grow and produce pinotage was Bellevue Estate Winery in Stellenbosch.

With such names as Hermitage and Bellevue, how can you not celebrate fall in Nashville with RIB SHACK RED?  Come on in and pick up a bottle this weekend.

Red, White & Rose: Holiday Three Pack for the 4th Special

Whether you’re putting the finishing touches on your 4th of July cookout plans or just looking for something special to sip while watching fireworks, RED is proud to help you celebrate with this special three pack of “All American” wines from Food and Wine Magazine’s 2009 Winemaker of the Year, Charles Smith.

RED: Charles Smith Wines, “Boom-Boom” Syrah

Let’s not mince words, this is a POWERFUL wine – perfect for pairing with steaks, barbeque and burgers. It’s everything you want from a Washington Syrah. Dark in color, yet bright, fresh and smooth.

The bomb on the label is there for a reason. It’s to warn you that a fruit bomb awaits in the bottle, ready to explode on your palate with dark fruits and baking spices that will stand tall next to even the heartiest meats coming off your grill. For a real treat, try this wine with your favorite dark chocolate, for a truly explosive experience.

Special Holiday Price: $16.99/750 ml

WHITE: Charles Smith Wines – “Kung Fu Girl Riesling” 

If you’re looking for super sweet, sugar-water Riesling, you won’t find it here. This is a wine to change the minds of people that don’t typically drink Riesling.

It’s crisp, dry wine with a slight “zing” and a clean finish. Apricot, peach nectar and orange rind dominate the nose, while the clean finish of white fruit, citrus and a hint of key lime make this the perfect sipper for your late afternoon in the sun.

Special Holiday Price: $11.99/750 ml

ROSE: Charles & Charles Rose 

Charles & Charles is a joint venture between Charles Smith and Charles Bieler – made from 100% Syrah grapes from Columbia Valley, WA. Describing the wine, Smith says, “Remember Jolly Ranchers? Grab a bottle of this wine, open, pour, sniff, swirl, taste. Now…dontchya think that this wine is the way-evolved, been-around-the-world-a-few-times, insouciantly hip, cool-as-the-other-side-of-the-pillow, casually bad a** son of Jolly Rancher?” We don’t think there’s a better description available for this wine or its winemakers.

And if the label looks familiar, it is an abstract print of the American flag created by Nashville’s own Hatch Show Print. This wine was made for drinking in Nashville on the 4th of July.

Special Holiday Price: $12.99/750 ml

About the Winemaker:

It would be an understatement to say that Charles Smith is not your typical winemaker. After spending close to a decade travelling the world managing rock bands, he moved back to the United States and opened a wine shop. In 2001, he decided to move to the Walla Walla Valley and released his first wine later that year. A self taught winemaker, having never taken a class or produced wine for anyone else, Charles is a true artisan.

In 2008, Wine & Spirits Magazine recognized Smith’s K Vintners as its Winery of the Year and in 2009, Smith was named Food & Wine Magazine’s Winemaker of the Year. In 2010 alone, Robert Parker’s Wine Spectator gave 15 of his wines between 91 and 99 points. Smith is an American treasure and we are proud to recommend his wines to you this 4th of July. Cheers!

Upcoming In-Store Events: July 2, 2012

Please join us for these upcoming in-store events at RED Spirits & Wine:

FRIDAY, JUNE 29: 

5:00 to 7:00 – Classic Car Themed Wines: Red Truck, Ferrari-Carrano and Francis Ford Coppola

6:00 to 8:00 – Classic Car “Cruise In”: Join us in the parking lot outside the store for this special evening of classic cars sponsored by 94.5 FM Hippie Radio.

SATURDAY, JUNE 30:

2:00 to 7:00 – Great Spanish Wine Importers: The Wines of Eric Solomon and Jorge Ordonez: Join us as we explore the portfolio of wines from Eric Solomon and Jorge Ordonez at this free tasting event.

TUESDAY, JULY 3:

5:00 to 7:00 – Pre-Independence Day Tasting Event: “RED White & Rose”: Join us for all your last minute 4th of July shopping needs as we pour some incredible red, white and rose wines that will be a perfect compliment to your Independence Day grilling and fireworks.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 4:

Remember that RED will be closed on July 4 in observance of Independence Day, so please join us this weekend for all your holiday needs.

 

FRIDAY, JULY 6:

3:00 to 7:00 – “Great Grapes”: Gruner Veltliner, the Refreshing Austrian Superstar: If you have been looking for a crisp and refreshing summer alternative to Chardonnay, join us this Friday for our very first “Great Grapes” tasting series in which we’ll be exploring Gruner Veltliner, the national grape of Austria.  We’ll be pouring a variety of wines sure to meet any budget.  Best part, it’s FREE. So mark your calendars and make sure to join us for this special event. No reservations required.

TUESDAY, JULY 10:

6:00 to 7:30 – “You Be The Judge”:  Do high ratings and a “Top 100” status translate to better wines…? Join us for this month’s installment of “You Be The Judge” where we put 4 unheralded wines head-to head against an industry favorite and let you decide. Taste for yourself and give us your verdict.

NOTE: Due to the special format of “You Be The Judge,” space is limited. Please email us at red-response@redspirits.com or call the store to reserve your spot today. 

As always, thanks for shopping at RED.

Upcoming In-Store Events: 6/22/2012

Please join us for these upcoming in-store events at RED Spirits & Wine:

FRIDAY, JUNE 22: 

3:00 to 7:00 – Skinnygirl Wines and Spirits Tasting: Come meet the Skinnygirl team and taste what all the buzz is about.

6:00 to 9:00 – Live Jazz with Denny Jiosa and Friends

SATURDAY, JUNE 23: NATIONAL PINK DAY

2:00 to 7:00 – Super Saturday Tastings:  Blush Wines, From Dry Sweet Moscato to Bone Dry Roses

4:00 to 6:00 – Mark’s Mixology: Watermelon and Strawberry Daiquiries

TUESDAY, JUNE 26: 

6:00 to 7:00 – Mixology 101: The Art of July 4 Cocktails and Ed’s Recommendations for the Perfect Beers for Fireworks.  Due to the special format of this event, space is limited. Reserve your spot by calling the store (646-1400) or emailing us at red-response@redspirits.com.

FRIDAY, JUNE 29:

5:00 to 7:00 – Classic Car Themed Wines: Red Truck, Ferrari-Carrano and Francis Ford Coppola

6:00 to 8:00 – Classic Car “Cruise In”: Join us in the parking lot outside the store for this special evening of classic cars sponsored by 94.5 FM Hippie Radio.

Upcoming In-Store Tastings at RED Spirits & Wine: June 15, 2012

Allegrini Palazzo Della Torre: The Secrets in the Label

European wine labels are often a confusing maze of information. That’s a result of a fairly complicated set of rules and regulations that require wineries to provide precise details about who, what, why and where.

Take our wine of the week: Allegrini Palazzo Della Torre, 2008.

Let’s get the most important fact out about this wine. It’s a spectacularly delicious red wine that just needs to be in your collection, on your table and in your glass.

But, why would you ever even be attracted to such a fantastic wine given the thousands of brighter, funkier labels? That’s where our job at RED comes in to play.

First let’s mention the industry hype. This wine is one of the best values in the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2011 (#60). It rated 90 points.

It’s usually $25.  We are featuring it for just $17.99. Buy 3 bottles (or more) and save 10%. Sold yet? Possibly…

But here are the facts that really matter. Information that is so special and important that each tidbit is a vital piece to solving the Palazzo Della Torre puzzle that most of us would never know to piece together. And that would indeed be a real loss to our taste buds!

On the label:

Producer:  Allegrini.  An entrenched family with ties to the area back to the Fourteenth Century. In fact, the Allegrini family is one of the largest landowners. Currently the winery is run by three Allegrini siblings. Walter is the vineyard manager. Franco is the winemaker. Marilisa is the director of marketing.

Location: The winery is located in the Italian commune of Fumane, a village of just 4,000 inhabitants located in the province of Verona. Verona is found in the wine growing region called Venato. Fumane is about 68 miles west of Venice and nine miles northwest of Verona. There is a village called Valpolicella, meaning “valley of many cellars”. You may have heard of a wine called Valpolicella. It’s not named after a grape!

Name on Label: Palazzo della Torre. A beautiful vineyard that is owned by the Allegrini family that surrounds the family compound Villa della Torre. This ancient dwelling is where previous generations have toiled to perfect the vines, blends and created a true jewel. The vineyards feature terraced stone walls.

Grapes: This wine is a blend of three red grapes. Corvina Veronese (70%), Rondinella (25%) and Sangiovese (5%).

These grapes are divided into two ‘batches.’ About 70% of the grapes are picked and vinified immediately. The remaining 30% receives a little special treatment. Each grape is left to air dry on mats until December. This process is a slight variation of the ripasso process. Ripasso basically means combining the fresh juice that was vinified immediately and blending it with the flavorful air dried grapes and creating a fuller-bodied, more interesting wine. Hence, a blend of a blend of grapes. Certainly this precision is not a simple process and is time consuming to perfect.

Results: Simply amazing. So much time, attention and hard work goes into making this age worthy wine that it is hard to believe we are selling it for just $18! The wine has volumes of delicious fruit flavors including raisins, plum and blackberry. There is a great hint of tar, graphite, smoke, vanilla and even chocolate. This wine is best served, just under room temperature, with freshly grilled and roasted red meats.

Cheers!

Columbia Crest Grand Estates Wines: The Best in Show Surprise

There is something to be said for consistency, right? In a world of chaos and constant hustle and bustle we all appreciate something fairly uncomplicated and trustworthy.

Wine is often not predictable. Vintages change, weather conditions affect the consistency. Winemakers move on. Blends are reformulated. It’s an ongoing saga just to get the wine in bottle.

Add volume to the picture and you really can compromise what ends up in the bottle. Large production tends to produce less interesting wines claim many wine critics. That theory is quite possibly true, but not steadfastly accurate.

Columbia Crest is a winery that has been about as consistently good as I have seen in America. This winery is under the umbrella of the well known Chateau St. Michelle family of wines from Washington state.

Various wine writers and wine publications have raved about the Columbia Crest “Grand Estate” line for decades. The wines are highly respectable for quality and style at under $15 per bottle. When we are able to purchase them at the $10 retail price point, you actually really get something noteworthy for your money!

The Columbia Crest Grand Estate Chardonnay has to be America’s best perennial white wine value. At just $10 per bottle, you cannot get better chardonnay with proper pedigree and near perfect time spent in barrel to add complexity.

The newest addition to the Grand Estate’s family is the excellent blend called “Amitage.” This noteworthy blend of 64% Merlot, 19% Syrah, with the balance small amounts of Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 16 months in 25% new French and American oak, offers up greater complexity than the other Grand Estates reds and is a balanced, lengthy offering that offers excellent value.

In my opinion, there is not a better balanced, more rich and robust red blend bang for your buck to be found in America! The mouthfeel is exceptional. The fruits are precise and pin point accurate with notes of purple and blue fruits following a montage of red fruits. You will literally get a parade of cherry, boysenberry, blueberry and cassis flavors. The finish is slightly smokey and gentle. A hint of vanilla meanders it’s way throughout. This wine is a pure pleasure party sipper as well as a full-throttle steak on the grill contender.  I tasted this for the third time earlier this week with some heady California reds that all cost in excess of $25 and Amitage easily held it’s own, if not actually leading the pack for best taste and quality.

At $10 a bottle, it certainly was best of show at a fraction of the cost.