Happy Thanksgiving

We Thank You for Your Patronage

Have A Great Holiday

What’s New at Enoteca – Fine Wine & Beer

1. Note: Shipping Services Now Available
2. Black Friday Sale: Friday from 11-2 only
       Details to come by email tomorrow, email orders welcome
3. Free Taste Today: Thanksgiving in a Glass, Christmas in a Cup
4. Black Friday Wine & Beer Sale
       Friday, November 27th, 11 am – 2pm (Early Birds!)
       Look For Thanksgiving Day Email For Special Offers
5. Top 5 Wine Tasting this Friday & Saturday
       come relax with us after the holiday
       Come taste with us for only $10 / flight (lots of wine!)
6. Now On Tap: Unibroue Terrible – say: Tare-Ee-Blay
       1/2 Gallon Growler Fill: $22.99, Pint: $6.99
7. He Said Beer, She Said Wine
8. Upcoming Tasting Events
   • Top 5 Wine Tasting (5 of our faves from this year)
         Friday, November 27th, 4-7 pm, Saturday the 28th, 12-7
   • Gruet Sparkling Wine Tasting and Class with Chef Mueller of Bistro on Spruce
         Thursday, December 3rd, 7 pm, $20 per person, tickets required.
   • Wine Club Tasting
         Friday, December 4th, 4-7 pm, Saturday the 5th, 12-7
   • Club Member Appreciation Party
         Sunday, December 6th – 4-7 pm, details below
   • Laughing Dog Beer Tasting
         Thursday, December 10th, 5 & 7 pm, $10, tickets required.
   • Gilbert Cellars Wine Tasting with Anders Zwartjes
         Friday, December 11th, 4-7 pm, Saturday the 12th, 12-7
   • K-Vintners Wine Tasting (currently tentative)
         Wednesday, December 16th, 7 pm, with Darin Roberson
         Details to Follow, Mark Your Calendars!
   • Terra Blanca Wine Tasting with Ed Scapelhorn
         Friday, December 18th, 4-7 pm, Saturday the 19th, 12-7
9. Can you recommend wine and/or beer to me once a month?
10. How is wine tasting at Enoteca different?

Black Friday Sale: 11-2 Only

We wanted to give you the opportunity to add something special to the stocking, or holiday party, or holiday meal, with a big savings to boot. There will be a lot of excellent items available!

Here are the details for the Enoteca – Fine Wine & Beer Black Friday sale. We will be sending an email sometime on Thanksgiving day, you can look for it Thursday or Friday, or check corkjoy.com if you miss it.

We will list most of the deals on the email, and you can place your order by email. We will process the emails before 10:30 am on Friday, on a first received basis, filling in orders while supplies last.

At 11 am we will open Enoteca and you can come in for sale items. There will be a few treats not mentioned in the email, but orders that were emailed in by 10:30 will already be pulled off the shelf.

At 2 pm, the sale ends, and we will check the email again, and if we get an order from you and can still fill it, we will!

For an order to be an Order and not just a request, payment information needs to be on file. Your order will be filled immediately and charged to your CC. If your info is not already on file, you can send it with our secure credit card form here.

Thanksgiving in a Glass, Christmas in a Cup!

Someone commented that the Gluhwein tastes like Christmas in a Cup, and I’ll add that the Pasek Cranberry wine tastes like Thanksgiving in a Glass! Here’s some notes on both, they’re both in stock right now, and we’re offering sample tastes all day. Come on in for a taste! We also have the traditional Beaujolais Nouveau in stock today.

Pasek Cranberry Wine (Washington)
Pasek Cellars Cranberry Wine is produced from whole Northwest Cranberries. A favorite during the holidays, this wine has become a staple among its loyal, enthusiastic fans throughout the year. Featuring an abundant cranberry flavor with a slightly sweet mid-palate that finishes out crisp and clean. This wine is a great match with pork, poultry, and spicy Asian foods. Serve Chilled.

[Member: $10.79 / Retail: $11.99]

Augsburger Christkindlmarkt Glühwein (Germany)
Glühwein is a delicious blend of red wine and spices, and is the German name for mulled wine. The wine is infused with a unique blend of cinnamon, cloves, oranges, lemons and a dash of sugar.

Glühwein is ready to drink, you don’t need a recipe with this bottle, simply warm and serve. We usually fire up a crock pot as the weather cools down and keep it around to warm us up in the afternoon. You can also warm it on the stove. The combination of wine and spices ensures a warm and cheerful experience when shopping or out walking and is traditionally served with iced ginger biscuits.

Glühwein is the German name for this style of wine, but it’s also made in other countries.

In Romania and Poland this style of wine is known as vin fiert
In Scandanavia mulled wine is called glogg
In Moldova it is known as izvar
The French know this wine as vin chaud
In Hungary mulled wine is called forralt bar
The Italians know it as vin brulé
.. and in Slovenia kuhano vino

[Member: $8.09 / Retail: $8.99]

Beaujolais Nouveau 2009 (France)
Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé! Every year on the third Thursday of November, the new wine from Beaujolais France is introduced with this proclaimation. This wine is made from the Gamay grape and makes this weekend a special French party!

[Member: $10.79 / Retail: $11.99]

Top 5 Wine Tasting: Some of Our Favorites from 2009

This Friday from 12-7 Enoteca will be sharing a selection of our favorite 5 wines from this year’s Premier Red wine club! We’ll be tasting these wines Saturday from 12-7 as well, which is a great time to beat the rush!

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 5 wines) for $10 per flight, and follow up with a glass.

Perrin & Fils Vacqueyras, Les Christins 2003
(Rhône, France)
Clearly a wine from a warm place, with its amber hues and richness of texture. The nose is reminiscent of morello cherries, flowers and licorice. On the palate it shows an unctuous texture and is rich and concentrated.

This is a fine bottle from a great terroir. It will go perfectly with beef, lamb and dishes containing black truffles.

Top 100 Wine Spectator

80% Grenache, 20% Syrah

Tre Donne Barolo 2003
(Piedemonte, Italy)
If you’ve never had Barolo, you must try it. And if you’ve never had Tre Donne’s Barolo, you’re in for a world-class experience. One of the great wines of Italy, this wine is aged 3 years in Barrique, and offers expansive cranberry, cedar, and pomegranate aromas, woodsmoke and tobacco, and a gracious three-act structure that finishes memorably. Approachable now, with soft tannins and beautifully bright fruit. Perfect with truffle soup, duck confit, or aged Italian cheese.

OK, this wasn’t in Premier Red, it was in Anniversary Red, but it’s fantastic so we should drink it!

100% Nebbiolo

Podere Ciona Le Diacce Merlot 2004
(Chianti Classico, Tuscany, Italy)
Grown at high altitiude in Chianti Classico (approximately 1500 feet above sea level), this Merlot from Podere Ciona is remarkably clear in style and tension, with stinging, bright red fruits, subtle smoky notes, and a firm-bodied lushness that befits exceptional Merlot. From young vines, the fruits are very fresh, and goes perfectly with red and white meats.

95% Merlot, 5% Alicante Bouschet

Try this 300 case production wine, a Merlot produced in Tuscany. Some of my favorite wines on the planet are SuperTuscans rooted in a backbone of Merlot, and this is a great example of that style for an affordable price. The Alicante is a red skinned and red fruit grape that squeezes out red juice. It adds a measure of body and richness to this wine.

Nicholas Cole Camille 2003
(Washington)
Here’s what Wine& Spirits said when they gave it 93 Points:

This blend has great Washington pedigree: the fruit (cabernet sauvignon blended with merlot and cabernet franc) is sourced from Klipsun, Champoux and Seven Hills vineyards. Its heady humus scent barely suggests its bluehued, black currant fruit, but its flavors are sumptuous, warm and toasty, with earth and cedar spice notes shaping a rich core of black raspberry fruit. Give it time in the bottle; then serve with long-braised lamb shanks.

Here’s what The Wine Advocate said when he gave it 90 Points:

The 2003 Camille is a product of a very hot vintage. Composed of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, and 15% Cabernet Franc, it is a dark ruby/purple-colored. It offers an attractive array of toast, fresh herbs, tobacco, black currants and blackberry. This is followed by an intensely flavored wine with light tannins and a supple texture. The wine is slightly compressed in the finish but there is enough structure for the wine to evolve and fill out over the next 3-5 years. It should drink well through 2030.

93 Points Wine & Spirits, 91 Points Wine Enthusiast, 90 Points Wine Advocate

47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc

Big, rich, and opulent. The last bottle we opened had such a lot of “stuffing” in it it collected on the cork. It’s ok, just chew through it and enjoy this cocktail style quaffer! This is coming in at a significant price savings as well, normally in the $50 range, we have more available for $30.

Hannah Nicole Meritage 2005
(Contra Costa County, California)
This 2005 Meritage blends the best characteristics of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot to produce a rich and savory wine that fills the mouth with distinct black cherry and plum, followed by the classic Brentwood Terroir note of cocoa that lingers on the finish.

50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot, 7% Cabernet Franc

Nicholas Cole Camille is a top notch Bordeaux style blend from Washington that is dark and deep and brooding. This is a top notch Bordeaux style blend from California, utilizing the same grape varieties, but from Contra Costa County, California. Comparing the wines you’ll notice this one to have more of a Soprano note to it, to the Camille’s Baritone. Bright big fruit, lush mouthfeel, and creamy tannins compared to Camille’s smokiness, chewey earth, and dark dwelling fruit. Try opening them side-by-side, that will be a fun experience!

Russell Said Beer, Sarah Said Wine

Sarah: Hey Everyone! I just finished the last bits of Turkey day shopping yesterday and boy was the store packed! Everywhere I turned there were clusters of carts trying to go in different directions. It looked like L.A. at rush hour, reminds me of growing up in SoCal! Anyway, I survived and I hope you do to.

I’m a big Black Friday shopper! If anything it’s fun watching everyone else get geared up for that great buy! It’s fun! So Russell and I are offereing some amazing deals if you find yourself running around this weekend. Check in on Thanksgiving to see what goodies we are putting on sale. And I’m talking great deals!

Russell: Well, we’re contributing to the frenzy this year, since we enjoy the Black Friday fun, we’re holding a sale this Friday from 11-2. Two nice options for the Enoteca sale that you don’t usually see are: 1) You can participate from the comfort of your home or office by emailing an order, we fill email orders 1st if they’re placed before 10:30 a.m. Friday, and fill again with anything left at 2 p.m. and… 2) The earliest you can get here is 11 am. No standing in cold lines at 5 in the frickin’ morning here.

So here’s the plan: Check your email box Thanksgiving evening or Friday morning before heading out, if you’re one of the crazy early-birds (like us!) go shopping before the Sun wakes up, get done and get coffee, take a nap, and come to Enoteca between 11 and 2. We’ll have some warm spiced wine to help warm you up too!

Sarah: I would like to recap last Thursday’s Thanksgiving wine and food pairing. 30 people arrived Thursday evening ready for something new. Not only did the different wines pair exceptionally well with the food but people left with new recipes on how to prepare some old holiday favorites! It was a great time had by all! I heard lots of people loving the pairing between the Turkey Panini and Jordan Chardonnay, that wine also went well with the stuffing. The port and Fox Barrel Blackberry Cider also walked hand in hand with the holiday treats. Come by the shop today for the wines I served that night and for other Thanksgiving wines and suggestions!

Russell: I remember one of the Thanksgiving Food and Wine Harmony attendees saying something like this: “Russell, come here. Now I finally know why I never have liked Pinot Noir. It’s because I’ve never tried it with food. This Saintsbury Pinot Noir is fantastic with the food, thanks for sharing this!”

To me that was a special treat to see someone’s eyes opened to the usefulness and pleasantness of a style of wine that I personally enjoy very much. We have tons of Pinot Noir’s in stock, and they’re a great choice for the Holiday meal. We have them from California, Oregon, and France primarily, and I can point you in the direction of something to suit your dinner if you need help.

Sarah: Russell and I have a lot to be thankful for. In particular, each and every customer that comes to Enoteca. We would like to thank all of you for supporting our small family owned and operated business. You all make it a pleasure to go to work everyday and we look forward to seeing your smiling faces. Thank you to all the Club Members for your support. We appreciate each and every one of you! We hope the rest of your year is filled with good times and memorable moments enjoyed with friends family and great beverages! Cheers everyone and God Bless!

Russell: The other day we were at Bistro on Spruce hanging out with Debbie from IWM and Chris Mueller, the chef/owner. We were tasting some fantastic champagne style wine from Greut, a French family who has planted in New Mexico, and is making some really really really great bubbles. This great idea came together that night, we’re holding a Greut sparkling wine tasting on December 3rd, and chef Mueller will be catering it, and with his experience as the wine steward at Beverly’s and more, he will be teaching us all about Champagne!

Sarah: It’s time to sparkle people! I think sparkleing wines are not used to their full holiday potential for the most part. so we are putting together a sparkleing wine tasting to show of what these bubbles can do! Chocolate covered strawberries, Champagne infused cheese and other treats will be served at this event. It’ll be like a preview of New Years Eve! So come join us!

Enoteca Fun Tasting Events Calendar

Mark your calendars for tastings at Enoteca – Fine Wine & Beer. Some are classroom format, which means we all sit down at the same time and can interact with the presenter with questions and whatnot. Our Friday & Saturday wine tastings are drop-in format, which means you can stop in any time during the tasting hours and try some excellent wine. We price our tastings to just break even on the quantity we pour for you, and our pours are quite a bit more than a typical winery tasting room experience. Join us for these excellent tasting events!

Black Friday Early Bird Specials
Friday, November 27th

Look for details in this newsletter, and a special email on Thanksgiving Day.


Top 5 Wine Tasting
Friday, November 27th – 4-7 pm [$10 flight, drop-in]

Come visit for this day-after-Thanksgiving recap on the year. Try 5 of the wines Sarah and I enjoyed the most from Wine Club during 2009, our Top 5 (at least, Top 5 that are around $30 per bottle). As an added bonus, we’re going to do a Black Friday deal on these tasty treats for this weekend only while supplies last. We will taste these wines on Saturday, November 28th as well, from 12-7.


Gruet Sparkling Wine Tasting with Hors d’œuvre and Class by Mueller
Thursday, December 3rd – 7 pm [$20, classroom]

Try the entire line of available wines from Gruet, the French winery in New Mexico! On hand will be Chris Mueller from Bistro on Spruce, serving Hors d’œuvre and teaching a “Champagne Class” which we hear he is renowned for.

$20 per person, reserve your tickets early!


Here’s Chris’ biography:

Chris Mueller is well known in the restaurant industry here in the Inland Northwest and has worked just about every job the industry has to offer during the past 30 years: meat-cutter, bartender, server, line-cook, sous chef, assistant manager, wine steward, general manager, the list could go on.

Now, as owner of the Bistro on Spruce, he brings together his talents to present a restaurant that has all the elements of warm and welcoming service, great food, wine and beer, with an ambiance that adds the perfect touch.

After graduating from Eastern Washington University with a degree in Business Administration, Chris worked at Patsy Clark’s Mansion in Spokane and ‘sister’ restaurants in Olympia and Portland for 14 years, then Spokane’s Luna for eight years, and was the manager at Beverly’s at the Coeur d’Alene Resort for three years.

Ever exposed to food and wine at the regions finest restaurants, Chris has also taken and passed The Master Court of Sommeliers level one program.

It has always been Chris’ goal to open his own restaurant. With his strong leadership and business skills he applied to the past restaurants he has managed, he is now applying that experience to his own vision—at Bistro on Spruce. It’s fun neighborhood dining with great fare at a reasonable price and the natives are welcoming them with open arms.

Being a native of the Inland Northwest, Chris is committed to providing a fun atmosphere where an exciting menu and a great wine and beer list will entwine to bring people together. His enthusiasm and experience in fine dining, knowledge of wine and insight in staff development benefit both the staff and guests alike. It has quickly become one of Coeur d’Alene’s new generation local favorites!


December Taste of Wine Club
Friday, December 4th – 4-7 pm [$10 flight, drop-in]

December 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, November 5th as well, from 12-7.


Club Member Appreciation Christmas Party
Sunday, December 6th – 4-7 pm [no cost]

We appreciate Wine and Beer Club Members, and ’tis the season to show that appreciation. Club Members and their plus one are invited to this party where we eat, drink, and be merry. Thank you Members.


Laughing Dog Beer Tasting with Brewer Fred Colby
Thursday, December 10th – 5 & 7 pm [$10 flight, classroom]

Meet head brewer Fred Colby and other brewers from Laughing Dog. Learn more about the best local brewery, and why these beers are winning awards and getting recognition nationally. We plan on having something special to taste, and fill up growlers! After tasting a bunch of beers, you get to take home a glass from the brewery. We’ll be holding 2 tastings, one at 5 and one at 7 pm. $10 per person, reserve your tickets early! (be sure to specify 5 or 7 pm)


Gilbert Cellars Wine Tasting
Friday, December 11th – 4-7 pm [$10 flight, drop-in]

Gilbert Cellars is hand crafting fantastic wines in Washington State without a ton of fanfare, without a “crafty” label, and with passion, finesse, and style. This is a winery which turns me on first with it’s white wines, and then turns it up with reds. We’ll have Anders here to share knowledge of the winery, wine making, and answer questions! We will taste these wines on Saturday, December 12th as well, from 12-7.


K Vintners Wine Tasting
Wednesday, December 16th – 4-7 pm [$TBD, classroom]

Charles Smith has been deploying so many wines that we have a hard time keeping up with them! We could just forget them if they didn’t taste so darn good, but we’re stuck, they’re yummy. Oh darn. What to do? How about pour them at this limited seating classroom format wine tasting event so you can get a chance to try what’s hot and new! As soon as we know what this will cost we’ll publish that in the newsletter and start offering tickets to the event.


Terra Blanca Wine Tasting
Friday, December 18th – 4-7 pm [$10 flight, drop-in]

Ed Scapelhorn will be on hand to share knowledge of this fantastic Red Mountain winery, and a line up of great wine! We’ll be pouring some of the best values in Washington State and some Reserve wine for that special occasion. We will taste these wines on Saturday, December 19th as well, from 12-7.


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

Holiday Hours: In addition, from December 1st through December 24th, we will be open 7 days a week!

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

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 at 1:25 pm and is filed under Enoteca News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.