Fun Events And News From Enoteca – Fine Wine & Beer

1. May Fine Wine & Beer Club in this Friday!
   Come taste with us for only $10 / flight (lots of wine!)
2. What is your favorite Wine Shop?
3. May 21st Beer Tasting: Full Sail with Joe Neese
4. Update: We Now Have A Menu!
   June 9th Wine Dinner: Kermit Lynch French Wine Portfolio at Fleur de Sel
5. Remember the Orphans: Lots of Wine & Beer recently added
6. Enoteca Web Poll: My favorite local charity drinking event is…?
7. Upcoming Tasting Events
8. What is Membership in the Wine & Beer Club?
9. Do I have to speak a code language for wine tasting?
10. Facebook: Enoteca – Fine Wine & Beer is my favorite beverage destination!

A Note from Russell

It’s time for Wine & Beer of the Month Club again! We have some excellent and tasty selections for May for all levels. We’ve found several excellent European selections, including wines from Spain, France, and Italy to taste and enjoy. There are two Walla Walla Syrah’s as well! Come taste them this weekend to compare what different wine makers can do with Walla Walla Syrah. Did I mention that both came with about $8 additional cost savings to Wine Club Members?

Learn more about the selections below, and consider visiting us on Friday from 4-7 as we pour these wines, or Saturday from 12-7.

KREM’s ZBest of Spokane is soliciting votes for your favorite businesses in the area. Enoteca – Fine Wine & Beer is currently in first place, thank you so much to everyone who voted! We appreciate you taking the time to share your opinion. If you haven’t placed your vote yet, there’s still time, just spend a few minutes to cast your vote.

The Enoteca Web Poll has been interesting, right now “Beer” is the leader for the question “What is your one favorite wine variety?” and if you click the polls archive link you’ll see the previous poll, which has Hoppy Beer and Dark Beer tied for the question “I mostly drink…” This indicates to me that beer drinkers are perhaps a bit more enthusiastic about web polls than wine drinkers, or maybe just more opinionated. This week we’re featuring a new poll, “My favorite local charity drinking event is…”

And finally, we’ve been working hard to bring you great tasting events, so please check the calendar below and especially note the French Wine & Food Dinner, and the Full Sail Beer tasting in May. We hope to see your smiling faces at these events, so if you want to go make sure you get your reservations!

– Russell Mann

May Wine & Beer Club is in!

The wine and beer for this month’s club has arrived and will be in your Bin on Friday, May 1st! If you’re not a Club Member yet, learn about the Wine & Beer Club?

Wine & Beer Club is rolling out this Friday, and tasting is from 4-7 Friday. We will be tasting Saturday from 12-7 as well, which is a great time to taste wine to beat the rush. The cost is $10 per flight (3 oz. each of 3 wines – red or white).


The lineup for Club and Tasting:

Vintage Club

Rioja Vega Crianza
(Rioja, Spain)
Careful ageing for twelve months in oak casks, followed by at least a further six months in the bottle. The result is a complex wine, rich in aromas and flavours. Clean, bright ruby red with aromas of vanilla, toast and spices. Well-structured, meaty and balanced in the mouth.

Mazuelo is known in France as Carignan Noir.

Tempranillo, Mazuelo and Garnacha

A truly interesting wine, that will have you thinking about it for a while. This mysterious blend incorporates some fantastic flavors, and I found it to open up tremendously the 2nd day, without a vacuum pump, just put the cork in overnight. Give this some time in the decanter, or use the Vinturi Wine Aerator to help it open!

Tenuta Ponte Coda di Volpe Irpina 2007
(Campania, Italy)
Say: [tay-NOO-tah • PAHN-tay • KO-duh • dee • VOL-puh]

Good body, with full fruit flavor and honey that reminds me of good Viogner, if somewhat less intense. Coda di Volpe is an ancient variety from Campania, and pretty well unknown in the US. It has a beautiful nose, youthful, with aromas of honey and melon and some floral components. On the palate it is dry, and displays juicy fruit, mineral, flowers, real nice acidity, a medium body, and a nice finish.

100% Coda di Volpe

Wine maker Alessandro di Stassio (Say: [ah-lay-SAHN-dro • dee • STAH-see-oh]) lives in the Campania region of Italy, just inland from the Amalfi coast. Here’s a fun one from Tom Kelly of Small Vineyards:

Driving to Alessandro di Stasio’s estate for the first time, we asked the winemaker about the property’s name. “Ponte means bridge”, he told us, “and Hannibal’s army built one here around 215 B.C.E.” When we asked where this bridge had stood exactly, he responded nonchalantly, “oh, it’s still here—in fact, we just drove over it.”

Reserve Club

Seven Hills Walla Walla Valley Syrah 2005
(Walla Walla Valley, Washington)
This Syrah is truly a valley wide blend, with grapes from cobble, hillside and terrace microclimates and soil types. Aromas of pine and orange peel and black cherry give way to smoke and gamey characters. The palate echoes the aroma, dominated by smoky Syrah notes, with ripe red fruits, pepper and vanilla accents. There’s great integration on an open structure, with brightness and youth setting the stage for beautiful evolution in the bottle.

How’s this for a great deal? Typically $28 retail, Reserve Red Wine Club Members receive this delicious bottle of wine for under $20!

91% Syrah, 9% Merlot

Tenuta Ponte Greco di Tufo Irpina 2005
(Campania, Italy)
Say: [tay-NOO-tah • PAHN-tay • GRAY-ko • dee • TOO-foh]

Perhaps Southern Italy’s most important white wine, it is also one of its oldest. Dating back to the ancient Greeks, this varietal grows in the village of Tufo in the Irpinia zone of Campania. It’s complexion consists of terrific minerality from the heavily clay-laden soil, which leads to slow ripening, and greater complexity in the wines. Perfect with grilled fish and shellfish.

85% Greco di Tufo, 15% Coda di Volpe

Premier Club

Reininger Walla Walla Valley Syrah 2003
(Walla Walla Valley, Washington)
This is a more classic, northern Rhone style syrah that flexes a little muscle with its tannin structure. Complete with blueberry, apricot, and a touch of earthiness, this syrah is bound to make the traditionalist in you smile.

Wine and Spirits Magazine, 93 points
The Wine Advocate, 92 points
Wine Enthusiast, 91 points
Wine Spectator, 90 points
Gold Medal, Wine Press Northwest 2006 Platinum Judging
Gold Medal, Northwest Wine Summit 2006
Gold Medal, Wine by the River 2006 Grand Reserve Competition
Great Wine. Example of American Greatness, Jefferson Cup Invitational 2005
Wine & Spirits Magazine, American Top 16 Syrahs of the Year, 2006

How’s this for a great deal? Typically ~$38 retail, Reserve Red Wine Club Members receive this delicious bottle of wine for under $30!

100% Syrah

Vincent Girardin Macon Fuissé 2007
(Maconnais, Burgundy, France)
Typically a Cotes d’ Or producer, Girardin has ventured into the Maconnais to create this healthy Chardonnay.

This is an old vines (Vieille Vignes) wine which leads to intense flavors by starting with aged and stressed fruit. Look for citrus, mineral, hazelnut, and apple flavors.

This would be perfect with a roast chicken or chicken breasts baked in a white wine and mushroom sauce.

Lemons! This wine is about lemonade flavors, and lemon meringue flavors. Notice the underlying mineral flavors as well, and the intense start followed by a long finish. I love how White Burgundy can express itself so differently just by being from a different area of Burgundy, or from a specific single vineyard. This wine is so different than a Chassagne-Montrachet or a Pouilly Fuissé, but in its own right an incredible bottle.

100% Chardonnay

Anniversary Club Red

Robert Hall Meritage 2005
(Hall Ranch, Paso Robles, California)
The Meritage has become a marquee wine for Robert Hall Winery, with a classic blend of four noble grapes – Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Merlot, producing a wine of finesse and character. Elegant aromas of black currant, cassis and ripe plum are complemented by intriguing earthy nuances of cedar and chocolate. The color is deep, ruby red and reflects of the intensity of the vintage, the vineyard and the careful selection of our finest lots from the Hall Ranch. On the palate, the wine shows exceptional depth of flavor with firm but velvety tannins.

This is a fantastic rich and elegant California blend. “Meritage” is an invented name created by the Meritage Association in 1988 to indicate a high quality Bordeaux-styled wine from California. Give this a try and see how it feels.

Beer Club

Beer Club members receive 4 bottles of beer this month! Beer Club selections are not open for the tasting event, but a few bottles are available for purchase.

William Wallace is the influence for the beer selection this month. We have three fantastic Scottish selections and one add-on value selection from the USA. Because as Mike Myers has proven, if it’s not Scottish, it’s CRAP!

Traquair House Jacobite
(Scotland)
Brewery’s notes:

Traquair was brewing a famous strong ale when Mary Queen of Scots visited in 1566. For 200 years the brewery remained idle until restored in 1965 by the 20th Laird of Traquair.

Deep reddish-golden in color; full, velvet-like body; medium dry and powerful, with an earthy hint of peat character.

Serve with: Pâté de foie gras and other rich appetizers. Good to soak a Stilton in or to serve with Stilton or other blue cheese. Can accompany fruit and fruit tarts or as a morning pick-me-up with coffee and brunch. Excellent with fruit and cheese or as a winter warmer. Enjoy with a fine cigar. Serve in brandy snifter.

Jacobite: Limited edition ale produced from an ancient recipe with the addition of coriander. Named for the 250th anniversary of the Jacobite Rebellion.

8% ABV, 11.2 oz. bottle

Traquair House has an interesting story, and this is their “coriander beer.” It’s very rare, I tasted it happily a couple years ago and have just now been able to source enough to put in Beer Club. Savor this savory flavor, and make sure you give the whole bottle a chance. It’s incredibly unique and different, and the secret to unique beers is to drink the whole thing before passing judgement.

Isle of Arran Dark
(Isle of Arran, Scotland)
Brewery’s notes:

Arran Dark has a nose filled with the rich aroma of malt and hops with ripe fruit. With a velvety texture, full malt flavor, and a deep bittersweet finish, this traditional Scottish heavy beer drinks surprisingly smoothly.

It pairs excellently with pungent or assertive foods, such as game, chorizo, smoked cheeses, brie and any cheese happy to walk towards the guillotine of take-your-head-away ripeness.

The brewery states: “Our beers are natural, reflecting the unique ambience of the island itself… a haven where nature still holds sway, where traditional values are still nurtured.”

4.3% ABV, 500 ml. bottle

Dark and roasty yumminess. Caramel notes, roasted nuts, and a touch of fruitiness. Maybe a visit to the picturesque Isle of Arran, which is a short drive and ferry ride from Glasgow, is in order.

Heather Ales Froach
(Scotland)
Brewery’s notes:

Heather Ale has been brewed in Scotland since 325 BC by the Picts, a Celtic tribal race who defended their land from Roman, Saxon, Briton and Viking invasions. However, traces of a fermented beverage made with heather flowers have been found by archaeologists dating back to 2,000 BC. Brewed with heather flowers and Scottish malt, Fraoch has a distinctive floral aroma, full malt character and a dry wine-like finish. As one of the oldest styles of ales in the world there are many legends and folklore surrounding it. Into the boiling bree of malted barley, sweet gale and flowering heather are added, then after cooling slightly the hot ale is poured into a vat of freash heather flowers where it infuses for an hour before being fermented in copper turns.

5% ABV, 500 ml. bottle

Another incredibly unique beer “Froach” is Gaelic for Heather and is not anything typical. This is another one to give a full hearing, refrain from judging until an entire bottle has been consumed. As a gruit style beer, it’s flavored and bittered with an herb (sweet gale, heather, and ginger) rather than relying entirely on hops for these components.

Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin
(Washington)
Brewery’s notes:

Brewed with 150 lbs. of pumpkin in each batch. Made with Pale, Munich and Crystal malts green and roasted pumpkin seeds, pumpkin in the mash, boil and fermenter. Bittered with Horizon hops. Spiced in conditioning with nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, ginger and allspice.

6.1% ABV, 22 oz. bottle

This is a special deal beer that is tasting fantastic.


Pricing disclaimer.

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

Is Enoteca the best wine shop?

You may have seen the promos on TV, they’re running a poll on local businesses, and there is a class for “Best Wine Shop.”

Well, what do you think folks? You can go to the website to vote for Enoteca .

Right now we’re in 1st place thanks to you, but if you haven’t voted yet, let your voice be heard! Visit the site, setup an account to vote. You can even add your comments for everyone to see, and peruse some of the comments that have already been left.

We appreciate your business, and our small family business appreciates the opportunity to serve our local community’s fine beverage needs. Thank you!

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 3 oz. of each wine

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. Lyle Railsback will be on hand to host and present these wines, and Laurent Zirotti will be presenting the culinary delights. 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! Check out the menu! Hors d’oeuvre Terrine of fresh and smoked Pacific salmon “à l’aneth” Paired with: 2007 La Soeur Cadette, Bourgogne blanc Appetizer “Petite” Bouillabaisse of Monkfish and crustaceous Paired with: 2007 Domaine Terrebrune, Bandol rosé Second course Seared beef Carpaccio with truffle oil and mushroom confit Paired with: 2007 Domaine la Coutale, Cahors Main course Roasted rack of lamb “en crôute”, braised garlic and rosemary jus Paired with: 2007 Domaine de Fontsainte, Corbieres Dessert Salad of fresh red fruits in a red wine syrup and a rich cassis mousse Paired with: 2007 Château Thivin, Côte de Brouilly 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

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?

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.

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.

Friday, May 15th – 4-7 pm
Reininger Wine Tasting! Chuck Reininger makes some top shelf wine from Walla Walla and we’ll be opening up a wide array of his selections. Don’t miss this, these are exceptional wines of quality. We will taste these wines on Saturday, May 16th 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.

Friday, May 22nd – 4-7 pm
Small Vineyards Italian Wine Tasting! We’ll be opening up a handful of hand-crafted wines from the Small Vineyards portfolio, just to show of some excellent stuff. These will be some new ones not yet seen at Enoteca. We will taste these wines on Saturday, May 23rd as well, from 12-7.

Friday, May 29th – 4-7 pm
Kermit Lynch French Wine Tasting! We’ll be pouring some excellent French selections this weekend, so make a date of it and come try something new and unique. We will taste these wines on Saturday, May 30th as well, from 12-7.

Tuesday, June 9th – 6:30 pm
French Wine Dinner with Lyle Railsback of Kermit Lynch and Laurent Zirotti of Fleur de Sel. Held at Fleur de Sel restaurant in Post Falls, only $65 per person all inclusive, and featuring some fantastic hand-picked selections of French wine. Contact Fleur de Sel for reservations at 208-777-7600.

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

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