Port Tasting
Friday, December 15th
5:00 - 7:00
As the weather steadily gets more of a chill, and as the Holidays beckon, our thoughts turn to Port. Port is the classic fortified wine of Portugal, a complex wine with natural grape sweetness, which is wonderfully rich, round, and smooth on the palate. Our friend Greg Pfaender from Empire Distributors will be on hand to lead us through a selection of new finds and old favorites, hitting the major categories of Port styles.
Croft Reserve Ruby Porto
Fonseca 'Bin No. 27' Finest Reserve
Fonseca 'Terra Bella' Reserve made with Organic Grapes
Croft Reserve Tawny Porto
Taylor Fladgate 10 Year Old Tawny
This style of wine is named for the city of Oporto in Northern Portugal, where the Douro River meets the Atlantic, and where these phenomenal wines were traditionally stored while awaiting shipping around the world. These ocean voyages of earlier trade routes is crucial to the development of Port in the late 17th century. Due to heat, time, and the rigor of shipping by sea, many Portuguese wines were spoiling before they made it to their final destination. It was found that by adding neutral grape spirits (Brandy) during fermentation, the wines would have their fermentation halted, leaving more sugar to the wine, yet still have alcoholic kick, and would better last the trip to far away markets. Thus one of the world's greatest fortified wine styles was created! Within this framework, there are two dominant styles of Port - Ruby and Tawny. Ruby ports are named for their darker Ruby color, and are red fruit driven, and excellent in their youth. Tawny ports are named for the more brown Tawny color they display, are blends of lighter colored grapes and receive longer barrel aging, often at higher temperatures, which brings out more caramel and nutty accents to the wine.
Croft Reserve Ruby Porto
Fonseca 'Bin No. 27' Finest Reserve
Fonseca 'Terra Bella' Reserve made with Organic Grapes
Croft Reserve Tawny Porto
Taylor Fladgate 10 Year Old Tawny
This style of wine is named for the city of Oporto in Northern Portugal, where the Douro River meets the Atlantic, and where these phenomenal wines were traditionally stored while awaiting shipping around the world. These ocean voyages of earlier trade routes is crucial to the development of Port in the late 17th century. Due to heat, time, and the rigor of shipping by sea, many Portuguese wines were spoiling before they made it to their final destination. It was found that by adding neutral grape spirits (Brandy) during fermentation, the wines would have their fermentation halted, leaving more sugar to the wine, yet still have alcoholic kick, and would better last the trip to far away markets. Thus one of the world's greatest fortified wine styles was created! Within this framework, there are two dominant styles of Port - Ruby and Tawny. Ruby ports are named for their darker Ruby color, and are red fruit driven, and excellent in their youth. Tawny ports are named for the more brown Tawny color they display, are blends of lighter colored grapes and receive longer barrel aging, often at higher temperatures, which brings out more caramel and nutty accents to the wine.
Champagnes & Sparkling Wines
Saturday, December 16th
4:30 - 7:00
For many wine lovers, Champagne and other beautiful sparkling wines are a major part of the holiday season. Beyond the ubiquitous bottle to ring in the New Year, they just fit well with any joyous occasion, making a reunion seem just a bit more special, a toast a bit more profound, and a great meal even more delectable. (The versatility of bubbly wines is amazing and broad!). We've picked a selection of lovely examples for tasting on Saturday, of both true Champagne and other top notch sparkling wines. Let's address first what we mean by using the word 'true' in the previous sentence - Champagne is a world famous sparkling wine that specifically and only comes from the Champagne region of France. All other wines with bubbles fit the description of Sparkling Wines, but Champagne has to be grown and bottled in that one area. Now there are many other very prestigious areas and styles of Sparkling Wines, and we've picked a few favorites to show how they can go toe to toe with their famous french cousins. Some of us are passionate (obsessed?) with Champagne, and will pay the high dollar amounts they fetch without blinking, finding them to have very unique expressions and flavors; others of us might not see that much difference, and be perfectly happy with delicious bubbles from other areas that are easier on the wallet! Either way, we'll have something for every lover of Sparkling wines this Saturday!
Domaine Huet Brut Pétillant
Vouvray, France, 2013
Champagne Aubry Brut Premier Cru
Jouy les Reims, France, NV
Champagne Pehu-Simonet 'Face Nord' Brut Grand Cru
Montagne de Reims, France, NV
Leo Hillinger 'Secco' Pinot Noir
Burgenland, Austria, NV
Champagne Geoffroy Rosé de Saignée Brut Premier Cru
Ay, France, 2013
Domaine Huet Brut Pétillant
Vouvray, France, 2013
Champagne Aubry Brut Premier Cru
Jouy les Reims, France, NV
Champagne Pehu-Simonet 'Face Nord' Brut Grand Cru
Montagne de Reims, France, NV
Leo Hillinger 'Secco' Pinot Noir
Burgenland, Austria, NV
Champagne Geoffroy Rosé de Saignée Brut Premier Cru
Ay, France, 2013