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The Savory Grape Wine Shop Newsletter |
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Greetings!
The true spirit of the holiday season is
here, and East Greenwich's Main Street, with
all the new storefronts and tree lined
sidewalks lit up, truly looks picturesque -
an image directly out of a holiday movie. So
come take a stroll down Main
Street to shop and see the beautiful sights
of the season.
As a reminder many Main Street
businesses are open late and offering various
promotions on Thursday evenings in December.
This Thursday is Ladies Evening Out,
and The
Savory Grape will offer a 10% discount, with
the exclusion of wine club
memberships and gift baskets, to women from 5
to close. So stop
in to shop and get those in your
lives the gifts they need. Other
participating businesses are All About
Imagination, Bone Appetit Dog Bakery, Breslin
Fine Art Gallery, Dugan Custom Jewelers,
Frills Boutique, Jardiniere, Little Elegance,
Sandonna's Take N Bake, Sassy and Classy,
Scribe and Sprig's Flowers.
Parking. As you know, during the
holidays parking can be difficult, so please
take advantage of parking in the back of our
store. If you
can't find parking on Main Street or one of
the side streets, then feel free to
park behind our store in the left most area.
If you are in a rush, just call
with your order and we will get it ready and
bring it out to your car. Or you can call or
place your online order for later pick up or
delivery.
Cheers! Jessica and Nino Granatiero
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The Savory Grape Upcoming News and Events |
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December 17th Wine Tasting. We are
able to fit in a couple more people for the
Global Cabernet
Comparison
tasting on Monday,
December 17th. Exploring various Cabernets from
around the world, the tasting will be held at
Main Street Coffee at 7 pm. Tickets ($25) can be
purchased at
The Savory Grape (886-9463) or Main Street
Coffee
(885-8787). As always, seating is limited.
Gift Baskets and Shipping. For your
convenience, information on our wine baskets
is available online. Click here
for more information. Remember, shipping
within and outside of RI (except to NY, MA,
PA, MD, UT and MS) and delivery is available
- ask us for details or visit the delivery
page of our web site for more information.
Ship your orders early so all your family and
friends receive their gifts on time!
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Montalcino vs. Montepulciano |
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Here you are in the thick of the holiday
shopping season, and if you are like many,
you're NOT almost done your shopping. You
still have to pick up wine for some important
people on your list.
Perplexed, you think what will I
choose? Maybe we can help.
There are two well
known areas in Italy that produce some of the
world's finest wines worthy of
your favorite people. The first is Montalcino
and is most known for its famed Brunello,
which is produced from vineyards surrounding
Montalcino located about 70 miles SW
of Florence. Brunello must be made
100% from the clone of Sangiovese, Sangiovese
Grosso in order to be labeled as such. Also
regulations require that the wine
age for 4 years, 3 of which must be in large
oak casks. To become Riserva, it must age for
an additional year. These are the old laws,
but many producers still adhere to them.
Under new laws, aging may be reduced so that
Brunello can be released after 3 years, 4
years for Riserva. Brunello affords a much
higher price than many of its Italian
counterparts, and we think rightfully so.
They have boldness, yet finesse and elegance,
and have good aging ability with some
improving within the bottle for more than 20
years. It is by far one of our favorites. A
gift of Brunello is a gift like no other. The
"other Montalcino" of which you may have
heard is the Rosso. A Rosso di Montalcino is
usually a third of the price of its big
brother and is often the overproduction of
the Brunello. Hence if you are lucky you may
get a Brunello quality-like wine at a price
much easier on the wallet.
The second area known for exquisite wines is
Montepulciano. There, two are produced - Vino
Nobile di Montepulciano and Rosso di
Montepulciano. Both are red wines produced in
the vineyards surrounding the town,
Montepulciano, which shouldn't be confused
with the grape Montepulciano. Like Brunellos,
there are laws in place that govern the
production of Vino Nobiles and Rossos, which
must consist of Sangiovese (otherwise known
as Prugnolo Gentile in that area), Canaiolo
Nero and up to 20% of other local varietals.
The wine must age for at least 2 years in
barrels and at least 3 years for those
denoted as Riservas. Rossos complement its
counterpart Vino Nobile. However it differs
only in terms of yield per hectare, alcohol
level and aging.
The result of all that hard work is 4 wines
that are excellent to drink from their time
of release as well as after aging. In the
shop, we carry a wide selection of these
wines from famed producers large and small
such as Gaja, Camigliano, Argiano, La Torre,
Banfi,
Col D'Orcia, Poggio Nardone and Salacheto that
we can help you choose to make anyone left on
your list very happy. If you have time,
please stop in on Friday evening to taste
with us the 2003 La Torre Rosso, 2001 Col
D'Orcia Brunello di Montalcino and 1999
Salacheto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
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This Week's Savory Selections |
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2004 Monte Schiavo - Rosso Piceno
"Sassaiolo" Superiore, Italy. The
grapes used for this wine are harvested at
the Sassaiolo vineyard, located
in a hilly area between San Benedetto and
Ascoli Piceno. This blend of 50% Sangiovese
and 50% Montepulciano is ruby red, tending
toward garnet in color. On the nose
there are nuances of cherries and
strawberries while on the palate this wine is
dry and firm with a long, lingering finish.
This is a staff favorite Italian blend.
($13.99)
2006 Monte Schiavo - "Pallio Di San
Floriano" Superiore, Italy. Monte
Schiavo Verdicchio Classico Superiore is a
historic white wine from the best classico
sub-zone within the Castelli di Jesi area.
The wine is a late harvest Verdicchio, which
results in a rich, yet dry wine full of
citrus and crisp mineral flavors with a
bright, balanced acidity. Cold fermented in
stainless steel
tanks, this complex, elegant, dry white will
develop in the bottle for 3 to 5 years. It is
a great partner for fatty Italian cheeses.
($14.49)
2001 Voerzio Barolo La Serra,
Italy.* What a great wine that we are
thrilled to have been able to obtain. Just
less than two cases will arrive on Wednesday
of a wine that possesses immense
quality, structure and ageability. This
selection won't last at the shop, and if you
take any look into its history you will know
why. The wine opens with dark cherries, milk
chocolate and cocoa on the nose. It offers a
rich palate of red and black berry fruits and
has superb concentration and substantial
tannins that are
typical of this wine. La Serra is the most
structured of the Voerzio Barolos. To achieve
best results, open and enjoy after 2010.
($114.99) *Call us to reserve your
bottles.
2003 La Torre Rosso di
Montalcino, Italy. Here we have the
little brother
to the Brunello, the Rosso di Montalcino.
As we mentioned, these wines
come from the same region in Tuscany and are also
produced from the same Sangiovese clone. La
Torre's Rosso is medium in body with delicate
blackberry, cherry and spice nuances. The oak
influences are subtle so only a touch of
vanilla is detected. The finish is dry, yet
soft, making this a great wine for pairing
with food. ($31.99)
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Weekend Wine Tastings |
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If your schedule permits,
please join us this weekend for excellent
Italian
selections.
Friday, December 14th (5 to 8
PM) Montalcino vs. Montepulciano.
- 2001 Col D'Orcia Brunello di
Montalcino, Italy. Brunellos are some
of the
most
sought after red wines of Tuscany and Col
D'Orcia
is no exception. Deep ruby red it offers a
complex
bouquet of inviting fruit aromas balanced by
oak -
imparted spices. On the palate this wine is
well -
structured and full-bodied, with fine tannins
that
promise great aging capacity. With a long
lingering
finish, this wine leaves you wanting more.
($54.99)
- 1999 Salacheto Vino Nobile di
Montepulciano,
Italy. This Vino Nobile has a a
beautiful bouquet that contains aromas of
leather, strawberries, cherries, blackberries
and dried
herbs. The palate is decadent, voluptuous and
overwhelming, but of course, all in a good way.
Medium-to-full, lush, and rich with a supple
texture, it envelopes the palate with chewy
cherry and
blackberry characters that are often
reminiscent of a
Cabernet Sauvignon. ($33.99)
- 2003 La Torre Rosso di
Montalcino, Italy. Please see tasting
notes
above in this week's Savory Selections.
($31.99)
Saturday, December 15th (3 to 7
PM) The taste of Monte Schiavo.
- 2004 Monte Schiavo - Rosso Piceno
"Sassaiolo" Superiore, Italy. Please
see tasting
notes above in this week's Savory Selections.
($13.99)
- 2006 Monte Schiavo - "Pallio Di San
Floriano" Superiore, Italy. Please see
tasting
notes above in this
week's Savory Selections. ($14.49)
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