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The Savory Grape Wine Shop Newsletter |
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Greetings!
This weekend we, and the annual Summer's End
Festival in East Greenwich, mark the
unofficial end
of
summer. We see pools begin to close, children
go back
to school and many of us move from drinking
lighter
whites and roses to heavier whites and
robustful reds,
which, along with some jazz playing in the
background,
are my favorites. The close of summer
also
means that harvesting of wine grapes is just
around the corner, if it has not started
already at some
vineyards.
Visiting vineyards on the West Coast during
late summer-early
fall is a
great time because often you are there right
when harvest, also known as crush, occurs.
This time
period is usually the most busy and fun for
vineyards.
Harvesting wine grapes is one of the
important steps in the process of winemaking.
The time of
harvest is determined primarily by the
ripeness of the
grapes as measured by sugar, acid and tannin
levels with decisions to pick being
based
on the style of wine that is desired.
Sometimes
to determine a grape's maturity,
winemakers may chew the pips or seeds.
Harvesting grapes when
they have the right balance between sugar and
acidity
is the heart of winemaking.
So to celebrate the end of summer and the
beginning of harvest, we hope you'll join us
at the shop on Friday
evening this weekend to welcome special
guest Ian Davies of the
Australian Premium Wine Selections.
Davies will
share with us five Australian
selections (2 white, 3 red),
some of which have received great reviews and
others
which have just been released.
Jessica and Nino Granatiero
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The Savory Grape News & Events |
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August 29th, 30th EG Main Street Sidewalk
Sale. Come down
to Main Street this Friday and Saturday from
10 AM-6 PM for a street wide sidewalk sale.
Pop by The Savory Grape to see what wines and
accessories we will have on sale.
September 17th Exploring Wine and Food
Class. We are pleased to announce that we
will hold Exploring the Art of Matching Food
and Wine class on Wednesday, Sept. 17th at 7
PM. We will go on an exploration of the many
types and styles of wine, and how facets of
these wines - such as sweetness, acidity,
tannin, body and more - give clues to their
preferred food partners. During the class,
you will explore various food components, and
analyze cuisine and your own favorite dishes
to understand the types of wine that are
needed to show their best. You will discover
which wines and foods are more versatile, or
more particular, in their pairing capacity.
To ensure personal attention, space is
limited to 20 seats. The cost is $40 per
person, which includes instruction, wine
tasting, appetizers and instruction handouts.
Reservations and payment can be made by
calling or visiting The Savory Grape. The
private class will be held at Pinelli's Cafe
on Route 2 in Warwick. This is a great gift
for yourself or the wine lover in your family.
September 24th Siena Wine Dinner. Siena
Restaurant in East Greenwich and The Savory
Grape
will hold its first wine dinner of the fall
season
on Wednesday,
September 24th to showcase exquisite cuisine
paired with wines from some of the best
Italian estates brought to us by importer
Empson USA. Empson's Cindy Richardson, Vice
President, New England, will be with us to
discuss and share the wines. The reception
will begin at
6:45 PM
with dinner following at 7:30 PM. Tickets are
$65 plus
tax and gratuity per person and can be
purchased at either location. The final menu
and wine selections will be available this
Friday. We look forward to seeing you.
Mollydooker Wines. Australia's Mollydooker
wines, which consistently receive 90+ points,
will be coming the week of
September 1. Our available supply
this year is extremely limited due to the
small crop. Following is our remaining
allocation,
accompanied by pricing. If you are interested
in any of
the
wines, please contact Jessica
(jessica@thesavorygrape.com) or Patrick
(patrick@thesavorygrape.com) and you will
receive them when they
arrive next week. Unfortunately,
these wines are on a first come, first served
basis.
- Two Left Feet (Shiraz, Merlot,
Cabernet
Sauvignon) - 22 bottles, $28.49/btl.
- The Boxer (Shiraz) - 2 bottles,
$28.49/btl.
- The Maitre D' (Cabernet Sauvignon)
- 6
bottles, $28.49/btl.
- Blue Eyed Boy (Shiraz) - 3
bottles, $58.99/btl.
- The Velvet Glove (Shiraz) - 2
bottles, $203.99/btl.
Savory Grape Gift Cards. Savory Grape
gift
cards are now available for purchase on our
web site.
Gift baskets soon will
be available for purchase online for
out-of-state
shipping or in-state delivery.
Save the Date - November 15th Fall Wine
Festival.
Tickets for this year's Savory Grape
Fall
Charity Wine Festival, which was a sold out
event last
year, will go on sale Monday, September 8th.
The Festival be held on
Saturday, November 15th at the Varnum Memorial
Armory, 6 Main Street, in East Greenwich from
6-9 PM. Please
plan to join
us to taste many highly sought-after wines of
limited distribution from prominent and
boutique international
vineyards. Guests will
listen to live music and sample foods donated
by the Pinelli Marra Restaurant
Group. A silent auction of rare wines as well
as various items
and packages, such as Napa vineyard tours and
visits, will
be held.
The Festival is the
perfect way to
kick off the holiday season. Profits from the
event will be
donated to the RI Community Action
Association.
General tickets are $50 per person and $45
for active wine club members.
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This Week's Savory Selections |
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Candor Winery, Paso Robles,
California.
Candor Winery is owned and operated by the Hope
family. The Hope family is also the owners
of Treana
Winery and Liberty School Winery. The Hope
family
has been growing grapes in Paso Robles and
working with other growers on the Central
Coast for
nearly 30 years. That accumulation of
knowledge and
experience and an understanding of what grows
well
there, and what it takes to grow great wine
grapes,
guides the selection of vineyard sources for
Treana,
Liberty School and now Candor wines, which offer
straight forward flavor and quality. Their
family
farmers grow the grapes on vineyard sites
best suited
for each varietal.
- Candor Zinfandel - This wine is
composed
of 100%
Zinfandel. Opening with enticing aromas of
ripe fruit
and hints of spice the wine gives way to
similar flavors
in the mouth. This is a bright Zinfandel with
rich fruit
flavors, a
lush mouthfeel and a hint of spice on the
finish.
($20.99)
- Candor Merlot - Coming Sept. 3.
Candor Merlot is deep in color with wonderful
aromas of blueberry, blackberry and a hint of
vanilla.
The blueberry and blackberry flavors carry
over in the
mouth complimented by a soft velvety
mouthfeel and a
graceful finish. ($20.99)
2007 Sea Glass Sauvignon Blanc, Santa Barbara
County, California. This is a new
favorite
Sauvignon Blanc that has great structure and
body
and that we think can be drunk into early
fall. All of the
fruit for this wine was sourced
from Santa Barbara whose cool ocean air
and abundant fog allow Sauvignon Blanc grapes to
ripen slowly and evenly while developing intense
tropical flavors and bracing acidity. The
result of this
appellation is a ripe Sauvignon Blanc with
aromas of
tropical fruit and bright citrus notes that
lead to a pure
and clean palate. This exceptional Sauvignon
Blanc
is perfect with shellfish, lighter pasta
dishes and
end-of-summer salads. ($13.49)
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Weekend Wine Tastings |
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Friday, August 29th (5 to 8 PM)
Join us for Special Guest Ian Davies of the
Australian
Premium Wine Selections
Saturday, August 30th (3 to 7 PM)
New arrivals from California
-
2007 Sea Glass Sauvignon Blanc, Santa
Barbara
County, California.
Please see tasting notes above in this week's
Savory Selections. ($13.49)
2005 Steltzner Claret, Stag's Leap
District,
California.
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc
and
Merlot, with aromas of licorice, cherry cola,
and some
light floral notes. In the mouth, it is
powerful, yet lively
and bright, with very light tannins and good
acidity
underscoring primary flavors of cherries,
blackberry
and some plum. From its oak aging, there is a
noticeable, yet elegant toasty oak component.
The
finish is beautiful - giving a velvety soft
mouthfeel that
is solid and satisfying. Drink now through
2012. Wine
Spectator 87 points. ($14.99)
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