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The Savory Grape Wine Shop Newsletter |
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Greetings!
This weekend, we have an exciting line up of wines
on both Friday and Saturday
evening that we will be tasting. Friday we will
showcase selections
from the Aussie winery and vineyard of Charles
Melton (special discounts will be offered), and on
Saturday we will taste wines from
Saintsbury Vineyard which is most known for
its
Pinot Noir and which
puts forth quality selections from year to year. So don't
let the wet, cold weekend forecast keep you from
coming out to join us. It's not every weekend that we
get to taste such a stellar group of wines.
Also, we are thrilled that late next week we will receive
a variety of limited wines from Schug Winery,
run by
Walter
Schug who was the founding winemaker of Joseph
Phelps where he made California's first proprietary
Bordeaux-Style blend (Insignia). Stay tuned!
Cheers! Jessica and Nino Granatiero
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The Savory Grape Upcoming Events |
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March 10th Wine Dinner, Post Office Cafe.
Only a small number of tickets ($60) remain for
the
Monday, March 10th 5-course wine
dinner at the Post Office Cafe in East
Greenwich. Please click here
to view the full menu
and wine selections, some which are rated
favorably by the Wine Spectator and
Robert Parker. Tickets can
be purchased at The Savory Grape or the Post
Office Cafe.
March 19th Siena Wine Dinner.
We have sold out of tickets for our
second Tuscan
wine dinner with Siena Cucina in East
Greenwich. However you can reserve a spot on
our wait list should there be any
cancellations. Please contact The Savory Grape
(886-9463) or Siena (885-8850) to obtain a
place on the wait list.
March 31st Wine Tasting.
The Savory Grape (TSG) will feature a line up of
stunning wines on Monday March 31st at Main Street
Coffee (MSC) from Paso Robles' Rabbit Ridge
Vineyard and
Winery,whose vineyard and wines have been
receiving much acclaim from national wine writers.
(The list of wines will be available on Friday, February
29th on our web site.) To purchase tickets, please
contact MSC at
885-8787 or TSG at 886-9463. Tickets are $25 and
must be purchased at the time of reservation. Only 15
tickets remain for the evening's tasting.
In Store Guest Wine Tasting
Events.
March 7th, Dragon's Hollow. We are
pleased to have David Henderson of Dragon's
Hollow Wines join us to introduce the area to
new Chinese wines. We will blind taste the Chinese
wines against varietals from other countries. Join us
to taste
what China has to offer.
Artist Series on Display. The exquisite
works of local artist Stephen Mancini are now on
display at The Savory Grape. Vibrant and colorful, his
works leave a lasting impression. Mancini is an artist,
photographer and filmmaker of national recognition
and his works have been included in galleries and
corporate and private collections nationally. To learn
more about Mancini, stop in the shop or visit
art-to-die-
for.com.
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Pairing Food and Wine: The Basics |
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Wine has become an integral part of fine
dining over the years, not just because it
serves as a quencher, but because the right
wines can accentuate the flavors of a meal.
Wine clears the palate and brings certain
flavors to the forefront, while counteracting
strongly salty or bitter tastes. It's no
surprise that some of the best cuisine in the
world happens in some of the finest wine
growing regions, where wine is often just as
prevalent in the cooking process as it is in
the glass.
Just as wine can enhance the many flavors
of fine foods, the wrong pairings can also make
foods taste metallic, bitter and sometimes
overly sweet. Still, the most important aspect of
food pairings is to simply enjoy your
favorite wines with your favorite foods. With
that being said, we have put together some
basic guidelines that can help you maximize
your enjoyment with food and wine for the
upcoming Easter holiday and Spring season.
First, match the weight and texture of food
to the weight & texture of wine. For
example, a light bodied wine like Pinot
Grigio pairs wonderfully with a light-bodied
fish such as sole. A fuller-bodied, creamy
wine like Chardonnay is excellent with a
heavier-bodied fish like salmon. Another
important aspect is to balance the intensity
of flavors in the food and wine, to offset
varying flavor profiles. A mildly flavored
food like roast turkey pairs well with
light-bodied white wines, like Sauvignon
Blanc and Beaujolais. Foods that show a
deeper intensity such as beef or game
however, pair better with a richer, full wine
like Cabernet.
Flavors are combinations of tastes and
aromas, and food and wine pairings can be
fine-tuned, by matching those same flavors.
For example, foods with subtle nuances of
berry fruit pair beautifully with wines that
carry those same fruit characteristics.
Surprising combinations can be startlingly
good as well, such as pairing a tangy
sauce with a sweet dessert; so don't be
afraid to experiment with counterpart flavors
too!
The secret to successful food and wine
matching is to get straight into tasting.
Take note of the ingredients being used in a
dish and hone in on a likely grape variety to
suit. You will always have your favorites,
and what's even more exciting is knowing they
all have a place at the table, along with
some great food and conversation.
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This Week's Savory Selections |
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Charles Melton Wines.
Winemaker and Proprietor Charles Melton
has made a name for himself first in
Australia and then in the past decade in the
US. Originally from Sydney, but now with over
30 years winemaking experience in the
Barossa, Melton has been described as a
"wild South Australian winemaker" and simply
a "wildman." Melton initially spent time as an
apprentice to famed Peter Lehmann, becoming
familiar with the capabilities of the
region's fruit. However in 1984 he set out on
his own and joined a small team of
like-minded Barossa winemakers whose mission
was to revive the undervalued varieties of
Grenache and Shiraz.
With Charles
Melton wines a great emphasis is placed on the
quality of fruit. All grapes are grown and
harvested from the winery's own 50 acres of
prime Barossa vineyard land, as well as from
a select group of grapegrowers.
Yields are extremely low, and the vineyards
are old with many exceeding 80 years. What a
pleasure it is to have these outstanding
wines in the shop and to be able to taste
them with you during our Friday evening
tasting. So don't let the weather stop you -
come out to join us this weekend. All Charles
Melton Wines will be discounted 10% on Friday and
Saturday evening.
2005 Charles Melton Nine Popes, Australia.
An aromatic red, this wine is a blend
of Grenache and Shiraz. Much like all other
2005 wines from Charles Melton, this blend has
a sweet, but musky perfumed nose. It is plush
and round on the palate, yet smooth like a
Pinot Noir. Vigorous and full of fine detail
such as the well balanced tannins, this red
gives the air of maturity with its fine
crimson red tone. With just the right amount
of acidity Nine Popes finishes with luxurious
raspberry and black cherry flavors. One for
any wine lover's collection. ($41.99)
2005 Charles Melton Barrossa Valley Shiraz,
Australia. The product of vines up to
130 years old that were spared from the
ravages of phylloxera, this savory single
varietal red is sweet smelling on the nose.
Made in a style with hints of Italian
influence, the result is a
medium-to-full-bodied wine with a good level
of acidity and loads of red berry fruit that
explodes like a bowl of cherries. It's
elegant and refined and offers a silky
smooth, slightly spicy, finish that is just
decadent. ($36.99)
2005 Charles Melton Barossa Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon, Australia.
This Cabernet also from the Barossa
Valley has the traditional sweet nose of
Charles Melton wines, but with a twist. It
also has faint aromas of mint and cedar which
alone makes for a complex experience. Plump
and round on the palate, this Cabernet still
maintains its firm grip with tannins that
linger to the finish. Finally, what else
could complement aromas of mint other than
flavors of deep dark chocolate. This is truly
a luxurious wine meant for those who treat
themselves to fine things. ($36.99)
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Weekend Wine Tastings |
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Friday, February 29th (5 to 8
PM) Charles Melton Wines
Please join us for a tasting of
wines by Australia's Charles Melton. We will
be showcasing its four great wines - 2005
Nine Popes, 2005 Shiraz, 2005 Cabernet
Sauvignon and 2005 Rose of Virigina. So come
join us to learn more about this Aussie vineyard.
Saturday, March 1st (3 to 7
PM) Saintsbury Vineyards, Carneros Series
- 2006 Saintsbury Chardonnay, Carneros,
California.
Fruit for this bottling is carefully chosen from specific
Carneros vineyards and growers and is then
augmented with estate grown Chardonnay in
Saintsbury's own vineyard. Its flavors are bright, crisp
and refreshing with just the right balance of acid and
fruit. The flavors are classic citrus and pear -
concentrated and focused nicely in the mid-palate. It
has terrific length, is fully flavored, and finishes crisply.
It is fermented in oak barrels that are lightly toasted,
which gives some added flavor but definitely not that of
heavy oak. ($22.99)
- 2006 Saintsbury Pinot Noir,
Carneros, California. Pinot Noir from the
Carneros region ranks among the finest in California.
It's with its Carneros bottling of Pinot Noir where
Saintsbury's experience, house style and the essence
of our appellation shows most clearly. It shows a
balance of tannin, acid and fruit flavors that while rich,
dark-red and complex, are not overblown or leaning
toward the burnt jam style of Pinot you sometimes
see. The flavors of cherry and raspberry are elegant
and mingle with soft oak notes from some time in
barrel. ($29.99)
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