Fun Events And News From Enoteca – Fine Wine & Beer

1. Explore the World Wine Tasting This Weekend
2. Bring Your Growlers Thursday
   Thursday Beer Tasting: Laughing Dog with beer maker Fred Colby
3. May Beer Tasting: Full Sail with Joe Neese
4. June 9th Wine Dinner: Kermit Lynch French Wine Portfolio at Fleur de Sel
5. Wine on Sale: Drink Good Stuff, Pay Less Money
6. Remember the Orphans: Lots of Wine & Beer recently added
7. Baby Judah Walks!
8. Enoteca Web Poll: What do you mostly drink?
9. Upcoming Tasting Events
10. What Membership in the Wine & Beer Club?
11. Do I have to know special lingo for wine tasting?

A Note from Russell

Tonight there will be 2 parties at Enoteca – a beer tasting at 5 pm and a beer tasting at 7 pm! A few seats are still available for 7 pm, and a few more for 5 pm, so give us a call and make your reservations! More details are below, this will be a fun one, bring your growler and get it filled up with something special.

The Orphan shelf has some new admittants so if you like to save 20% off on bottles of wine or beer come check that out! There are even a couple new wines that are on sale – great at their original price, even better at the new price! Check out the tasting notes below.

I’m excited about the wine tasting this weekend too, it should be a lot of fun to compare and contrast different wines from all over the place.

If you’re a social networking fan, check out the Facebook group called Enoteca – Fine Wine & Beer is my favorite beverage destination! . Post a message, say hi, review a bottle of wine or beer.

– Russell Mann

Explore the World Wine Tasting This Weekend

This Friday from 4-7 Enoteca will be pouring an intriguing line up of wine, with a smattering from California, Australia, and Washington! These are all top shelf wines so come by to enjoy the flavors!

We want to give you the opportunity to “try before you buy” so we offer a flight of wine for a low cost. Taste a flight (2 oz. each of 4 wines) for $10 per flight, and follow up with a glass. We will be tasting Saturday from 12-7 as well, which is a good time to beat the rush.


Schug Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2006
(Sonoma Coast, California)
Produced in a lively, crisp style that emphasizes varietal character without the use of new oak, it has a spicy citrus bouquet that leads to juicy flavors of white peach and nectarine, followed by a sleek, juicy finish. Try it as an elegant aperitif paired with hors d’oeuvres, or with lighter dishes such as soups, salads, seafood and pasta dishes.

I love Schug’s wine making style. They’re very German, straightforward, clean, no nonsense. The Chardonnay’s from Schug, this being the most cost effective, all have a great balanced approach like the best of Burgundy. Even those who aren’t fans of Chardonnay can appreciate this beauty.

[Member: $21.59 / Retail: $23.99]

Shingleback Grenache 2005
(Davey Family Vineyard, McLaren Vale, South Australia)
Winemaker John Davey handcrafts Shingleback wines from vine to bottle selecting parcels of grapes from his family’s finest estate-grown grapes for each vintage. He describes himself as a “minimalist winemaker” who seeks to capture the true character of the McLaren Vale by avoiding excessive manipulation and treating wines gently from fermentation through aging.

Brilliant dark cherry red. An aroma redolent of ripe strawberries and raspberries is enhanced by subtle vanillan oak. The concentrated flavours of raspberries and dark cherries are integrated with soft, silky tannins and a classically sweet Grenache middle palate. A ripe, medium-full bodied wine with a long, fruit finish which will enhance a variety of foods.

100% Grenache

[Member: $25.19 / Retail: $27.99]

Latitude 46º N Syrah 2004
(Columbia Valley, Washington)
This is a fruit forward and structured red wine, made from 92% Syrah and 8% Grenache. The Syrah comes from the Destiny Ridge Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills and Kiona Vineyard on Red Mountain; the Grenache comes from the Clifton Vineyard on the Wahluke slope.

Notice the bright red fruity aromas and jammy flavors! The floral nose that can be detected, some spiciness, meatiness, chocolate, coffee tones, and more. The Grenache component adds something you don’t often see in Washington Syrah, give it a swirl and sip! Only 290 cases were produced.

At a recent blind Syrah tasting this was the bottle that everyone was talking about. It made a polar impression on everyone, with most people loving it and a few hating it! Come visit Enoteca – Fine Wine & Beer this weekend and see what your taste buds tell you about this wine.

92% Syrah, 8% Grenache

[Member: $26.99 / Retail: $29.99]

Jade Mountain Monterey Syrah 2003
(Monterey County, California)
The western benches of the Salinas Valley just south of the Arroyo Seco canyon provide us with Syrah grapes from Alta Loma Vineyard. The area lies just outside of the strong valley winds and most days it sits above the morning fog. In the morning, the sun warms the vines, and in the afternoon the breezes from the mountains and the valley moderate the heat. Elegant and mouth filling, this Syrah’s flavors roll back and forth between black cherry, cranberry and black licorice.

[Member: $17.99 / Retail: $19.99]

Pricing disclaimer.

April Beer Tasting
Laughing Dog with Fred Colby

Laughing Dog Beer Tasting Thursday, April 16th 1st Tasting at 5:00 p.m. 2nd Tasting at 7:00 p.m. Only $10 per person

Fred Colby from Laughing Dog is back, on Thursday, April 16th, at 5 pm and 7 pm at Enoteca – Fine Wine & Beer! Bring your growlers! Fred will be bringing a couple things on tap to share, don’t miss out! There are still a few seats left for 7 pm, and more for 5 pm, so if you haven’t signed up, email or call to reserve space. Laughing Dog Brewing is an award winning Craft Brewery located in the heart of the Selkirk Mountains just outside of Sandpoint Idaho in the city of Ponderay. The beer is brewed on a fifteen barrel PUB brewing systems brew-house using the local water, which is ideal for brewing smooth clean ales. With few exceptions they use only Water, Barley, Hops and Yeast in their beer. The Laughing Yellow Lab that appears on all of the brews is Ben, the family dog. Ben is the inspiration behind Laughing Dog Brewing. There will be two “classroom style” tastings, one that starts at 5:00 pm, and one that starts at 7:00 p.m. and will last about 1.5 hours. Attendees will receive a beer glass and most importantly, learn about, and taste, more great beer! Email us at service@corkjoy.com to reserve space, or call 208-457-9885. To be made aware of future beer tasting events, join the email list at www.corkjoy.com

May Beer Tasting
Full Sail with Joe Neese

Full Sail Beer Tasting Thursday, May 21st 1st Tasting at 5:00 p.m. 2nd Tasting at 7:00 p.m. Only $10 per person

Full Sail Beer tasting on Thursday, May 21st, at 5 pm and 7 pm at Enoteca – Fine Wine & Beer! Joe Neese from Full Sail will be here to share beer, stories, and have a great time. Get a load of the Old Boardhead Barleywine, yummy! There will be two “classroom style” tastings, one that starts at 5:00 pm, and one that starts at 7:00 p.m. and will last about 1.5 hours. Attendees will receive a beer glass and most importantly, learn about, and taste, more great beer! Email us at service@corkjoy.com to reserve space, or call 208-457-9885. To be made aware of future beer tasting events, join the email list at www.corkjoy.com

June 9th Wine Dinner: Kermit Lynch
French Wine Portfolio at Fleur de Sel

French Wine Dinner Tuesday, June 9th Begins at 6:30 p.m. Only $65 / person Includes meal, wine tasting, tax, and gratuity

Tuesday June 9th, 2008 at 6:30, Enoteca – Fine Wine and Beer will be holding a French wine dinner in partnership with Fleur de Sel and Kermit Lynch Wine Importers. This promises to be a fun and delicious evening of French food and French wine! 5 courses – 5 French wines – only $65 per person all inclusive! Make a date of it! The restaurant seats 35, so that is the maximum number of people we can book, so make your booking early. To make reservations, call Fleur de Sel at 208-777-7600.

The first time I heard of the Kermit Lynch portfolio was from Wine Club Member Bob Carmichael (Bin #103). When I got to meet someone from the importer, I was thrilled, and he was gracious enough to pour several of the French wines for me. Four of them are now on the shelf at Enoteca – Fine Wine & Beer, including a fantastic Beaujolais Villages, a reasonably priced Bordeaux, a dry and yummy spring time Rosé, and an Alsacian White. It turns out that Laurent Zirotti of Fleur de Sel has been a fan of the Kermit Lynch portfolio since he had access to them in Billings. Put 1 and 1 and 1 together and PRESTO, we will be holding a fun, educational, and most of all TASTY wine dinner on June 9th! Futher details will be forthcoming in this newsletter, but save the date, and call to get your reservations early! To make reservations, call Fleur de Sel at 208-777-7600. Email us at service@corkjoy.com with any questions, or call 208-457-9885. To be made aware of future events, join the email list at www.corkjoy.com

Wine on Sale: Drink Great Stuff, Save More Money!

Here’s the low-down of some recent wines we’ve encounterd that are top notch, and remarkably sale priced. To reserve bottles of any of these, or have them put in your Club Member Bin, email us at service@corkjoy.com , call 208-457-9885, or stop on by!

We have some of these available to take home this weekend at Enoteca – Fine Wine & Beer.

Milbrandt Traditions Riesling
(Columbia Valley, Washington)
Here’s what the winery says:
Our 2007 Traditions Riesling shows why Eastern Washington is becoming a hub for Riesling. It is ripe, fresh and highly aromatic. The nose combines peaches and apricots. The flavors are rich, lush and juicy. The finish is off dry and balanced.

Here’s some of our notes:
When a wine says “Riesling” on the label that means to some people “eewww it’s sweet.” Sometimes that is correct, but in this case the sugar content is 1.5%, which means it has a noticable hint of sweetness, but is far from a glass of syrup. The nice thing about a little RS (residual sugar – sugar left over from the fermentation process) is it quenches heat in a spicy dish. Put this together with a little mexican or cajun spicey food and see what an amazing pair you’ve made.

The majority of the grapes in this wine are from the Evergreen vineyard on the Wahluke slope. This is one of my favorite vineyard sites for Washington whites. I always detect a hint of a tropical fruit, usually banana, from this vineyard. Few others agree on the banana flavor, but that’s why wine is so much fun, we all have different taste buds and experience different nuances! Pop the cork on one of these and see what you get!

Regular Price: $13 Sale: [Member: $8.09 / Retail: $8.99]

Canyon’s Edge Syrah
(Alder Creek Vineyard, Horse Heaven Hills, Washington)
Here’s what the winery says:
A classic Syrah of the Rhone area in France, but from the Aldercreek Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA of Washington State. This wine is like a good Italian red, it needs to breathe! With the heavy and dark aromas of blackberry and currants, with a touch of licorice, all surrounded by a gentle reminder of oak barrel aging, you know you have a handful here!! Open it up and kick around the kitchen a while before getting down to business with this one. decanting is a possibility as well. Very yummy when it opens up.

Here’s some of our notes:
This is a truly unique and interesting bottle of wine for Washington. The flavors are more in line with what France produces in a Syrah – gamey, meaty, herbal notes like sage, than what you’d expect from the fruit-forward style of the US.

You can spend some time with this one, not just a “open it up and gulp” style of wine, really give it some time to breath, express the hidden nuances it has to offer. Put it together with food, like lamb, a steak or a burger with mushrooms. At this price it’s hard to go wrong!

Regular Price: $15 Sale: [Member: $9.89 / Retail: $10.99]

Remember the Orphans

The orphan shelf has had some recent admittants. Several bottles of wine were discovered that have been waiting for a home, and some beer has even migrated to the orphan shelf. Club members receive a 20% discount whenever they adopt an orphan. Find it in your heart.

A wide range of very delicious bottles are currently up for adoption. Come peer into the glassed-over eyeballs of these little fellas and see if one of them doesn’t tug at your heart. Pleeeze sir, can I have some more?

Baby Judah Walks: The World Is Not Safe

Judah took three steps on his own on Wednesday! Watch out world, here he comes! He’s already working on his Godfather pose.

Tasting Events Coming Soon

Mark your calendars, Enoteca – Fine Wine & Beer has a great lineup for the next few weeks. Join us for these excellent tasting events! More details will be available in this newsletter, as well as any changes that might come up.

Thursday, April 16th – 5 pm
Thursday, April 16th – 7 pm
Laughing Dog Beer Tasting! Fred Colby, the guy who makes the beer, will be here to share his newest and best creations. Have you tried Alpha Dog IPA? Dogfather? And more! Join us at 5 pm or 7 pm for beer tasting.

Friday, April 24th – 4-7 pm
Tall wine maker Cameron Freis (say freeze) will be on hand to share the owner-wine maker experience for White Heron Cellars winery! His Pinot Noir is a fantastic one from Washington State, as are his other wines. We will taste these wines on Saturday, April 25th as well, from 12-7.

Friday, May 1st – 4-7 pm
Taste of Club! May Wine & Beer of the Month Club! Club tasting event, taste all the wine club wines! This is a great opportunity to see what the Club is all about, and to see what others are getting in their bins. We will taste these wines on Saturday, May 2nd as well, from 12-7.

Thursday, May 21st – 5 pm
Thursday, May 21st – 7 pm
Full Sail Beer Tasting! The folks who brought you Black Gold, Old Boardhead Barleywine, and other fancy treats of beer goodness will be here to share a line up of brews. Join us at 5 pm or 7 pm for beer tasting.

You can keep yourself in the loop on Enoteca events! Subscribe to the Enoteca Google Calendar to keep up-to-date on the latest happenings!


Thank you for your support of our local family business.

Salute’

Russell and Sarah

Enoteca – Fine Wine & Beer
208-457-9885
service@corkjoy.com

Enoteca is open:
Tuesday-Saturday: 11-7


Directions, hours, and more about Enoteca: www.corkjoy.com

We’re always looking for feedback! If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to let us know. Did you like a certain wine or beer? We’re here to serve you so let us know how we can help: service@corkjoy.com