Tag: Sampler Packs

Sparkling Wine Month: Sparkling Sampler Case

Originally published on July 24, 2009.

Sparkling Month will be wrapping up soon (we would say it’s going out with a bang, but that would be far too cheesy even for us.) We’ve had sparkling tastings twice each week, two different sparkling 3-Packs, and in true better-late-than-never fashion, we’ve finally managed to post our Sparkling Wine Sampler Case.

You’ll get 12 bottles of bubbly for just $200, including one bottle of actual Champagne from Champagne. In the realm of bubbles, this is a tremendous deal – about 15% off the individual bottle costs. It’s a great way to expand your sparkling wine horizones. Gather up some friends, split the case cost, pop the works – and drink…we mean taste, taste!

Here’s what you get:

2 BOTTLES EACH OF:

Althea Prosecco di Valdobbiadene NV (Veneto, Italy): Produced in the tank method, most Proseccos are lighter and fresher than their Champagne cousins. This was is our favorite – it’s elegant, fresh, and has the tiniest bubbles we’ve yet to come across in a Prosecco. (Regular Price: $15.99)

Lucien Albrecht Cremant d’Alsace Blanc de Blancs NV (Alsace, France): An excellent value in sparkling wine. A touch rounder than Champagne, with notes of pears and apples and just a hint of yeastiness. (Regular price: $17.99)

Cantina Del Taburno Falanghina Spumante NV (Campanga, Italy): Falanghina is a white grape indigenous to southern Italy, usually used in the production of non-bubbly wine. A sparkling version is a rare treat. A bit more full-bodied than Prosecco, it has a lemon-zesty finish and the tell-tale smoky notes of a good Falanghina. (Regular Price: $18.99)

1 BOTTLE EACH OF:

Medici Ermete Solo Lambrusco NV (Reggiano, Italy): Sparkling red…don’t be scared! Jammy, inky, with dark berry fruits and just a bit of fizz. It finishes dry and isn’t at all cloying or heavy. Perfect with cured meats, salty cheeses and it makes a pizza dinner something special. (Regular Price: $14.99)

Jean-Marc Villemaine Touraine Sparkling NV Rosé (Touraine, Loire Valley, France): It’s rare to see Pineau d’Aunis in a starring role – it’s generally used as a blending grape and rarely mentioned on a label. But this dry rosé, with its subtle berry fruit and hint of spice on the finish, is a nice exception to the rule. (Regular Price: $15.99)

Francois Pinon Vouvray NV Brut (Vouvray, Loire, France): A gorgeous sparkler from the Vouvray sub-region of the Loire Valley. It’s dry, but has just a touch of the honey notes you’ll sometimes get from Chenin Blanc. It’s a bottle of yeasty, creamy, honey-ed goodness. (Regular Price: $18.99)

Lingot Martin Cerdon-Bugey NV Rosé: Lightly pink, slightly sweet, but not at all cloying, this Cerdon is the definition of charming. It’s from a region of France that sits near the base of the Alps, it shows off delicate berry flavors and a hint of Alpine freshness. Excellent with cupcakes. (Regular Price: $19.99)

J Vineyards Cuveé 20 NV (Russian River, California): About as close to Champagne as you can get…without actually buying Champagne. Same grapes. Same production method. But from California, so overall it’s rounder and softer, but it has a similar mix of citrus and apple fruits combined with a rich toasty, yeasty note. Regular Price: $25.99)

Philippe Prie Brut NV (Champagne, France): Real Champagne is never cheap. It’s never even “inexpensive.” But there are good values out there and Philippe Prié is one of them. Stone fruits, citrus, minerals and a biscuit-y note combine with crisp acidity – it fits nicely into the “elegant” style of Champagne. (Regular Price: $35.99)

Another 3-Pack: Method Champenoise….without the Champenoise Prices

Originally published on July 14, 2009.

Our self-declared Sparkling Month continues with another 3-Pack featuring three different sparkling wines make using the traditional method, a.k.a. Method Champenoise, a.k.a. the same way Champange is made.

Get three bottles for $55.99 – the price of 1 mid-priced bottle of Champagne:

  • Lucien Albrecht Cremant d’Alsace Blanc de Blancs NV (Alsace, France)
  • Francois Pinon Vouvray NV Brut (Vouvray, Loire, France)
  • J Vineyards Cuveé 20 NV (Russian River, California)

Read all about them on the store site.

And here, you can read all about Method Champenoise. We’re going to get a little technical, so don’t be scared.

Method Champenoise is one method by which those bubbles get into the bottle. There are other ways to make this happen, but Method Champenoise is the most time consuming and adds the most complexity to the final juice. But before getting into that, we need to understand the basics of fermentation.

In science speak: C6H12O6 → 2C2H5OH + 2CO2

In normal speak: sugar (which you find in ripe grapes) + yeast (which isn’t noted in the fancy equation) = alcohol + carbon dioxide (a gas, or if trapped, bubbles!)

Now, on to Method Champenoise, step by step:

  1. Make the base wine: In simplest terms, take ripe grapes, crush, add yeast (or use what’s already on the grape skins and floating about the winery), ferment, bottle. Just like that.
  2. Blend: Many many sparkling wines are labeled NV (Non-Vintage). This means base wines from previous years can be blended with wines from this year. This helps even out the vagaries of the vintage since many sparkling wines come from places that aren’t always so sunny. Some producers blend more than others.
  3. Bottle the base wine
  4. Add sugar and yeast (a.k.a triage) to kick off the secondary fermentation: Remember sugar + yeast = alcohol and CO2. If you trap CO2 in a bottle, you’ll get…. BUBBLES!
  5. Commence with riddling: This is the tricky part. The bubbles are trapped in the bottle, but so are the dead yeast cells. This is not gross. This is good. The wine’s contact with these dead yeast cells gives sparkling wine made in this way an extra note of biscuity, creamy goodness. But….most people don’t want to drink dead yeast cells. Riddling (remuage in fancy French) is the way to get them out of the bottle. The individual bottles are rotated, little by little, day by day, until all the dead yeast cells are clumped in the neck of the bottle. (There are machines that can do this. Not as romantic as riddling by hand, but it works.)
  6. Disgorgement and Dosage: To get that clump out, the neck of the bottle is frozen, the bottle is opened, the clump is disgorged (fancy speak for “flies out”) and the remaining wine is topped off with the dosage, a mixture of wine and sugar. The dosage differs depending on the final style desired. Some sparklers are sweetened quite a bit, some just enough so that they’re not mouth-puckeringly, painfully dry. A little bit of red wine may be added as one method of creating rosé sparkler.
  7. Insert cork: The fancy cork is inserted and the cage that keeps it in place is clamped on. Prior to that point, the bubbles have been kept in place with a plain old crown cap – the same sort of cap you would find on a lowly beer bottle. Not so sexy, but it gets the job done.

Another 3-Pack: Mediterranean Sparklers

Originally published on July 7, 2009.

Call us crazy, but we think nothing says summertime like a cold bottle of something sparkling. And since sparklers (the firecracker kind) are all the rage for Independence Day, we’re proudly declaring July Sparkling Wine Month at Frankly Wines. At the store, we’ll be doing sparkling-oriented tastings every Wednesday and Friday from 5.30pm – 7.30pm.

For those not lucky enough to be in downtown Manhattan during the summer months (the garbage smells lovely when it finally heats up) you can still get in the fun with our latest 3-Pack featuring three nicely-priced sparkling wines from two Mediterranean-minded countries – Italy and Spain. All three are crisp and refreshing, but each is distinctly different. It’s a great way to explore the diversity that bottles of bubbles can offer.

AltheaProsecco di Valdobbiadene NV (Veneto, Italy): Produced in the tank method, most Proseccos are lighter and fresher than their Champagne cousins. The Althea is no exception – it shows notes of crisp, green apples, peaches, pears and hints of citrus. It’s great on it’s own or paired with Sunday brunch. Bellini’s anyone?

Cantina Del Taburno Falanghina Spumante NV (Campanga, Italy): Like nothing you’ve ever tasted – we promise. Falanghina is a white grape indigenous to southern Italy, usually used in the production of non-bubbly wine. A sparkling version is a rare treat – so rare we didn’t know it even existed until a few weeks ago. The nose offers up apples and honey, but the palate is dry and refreshing, with the tell-tale smoky notes of a good Falanghina. Bitter lemon zest on the finish will make your mouth pucker for more. A bit more full-bodied than Prosecco, it’s great on its own, with a nice seafood dish, or with an Italian cheese plate.

Bodegas 1+1=3 Cava Brut NV (Penedes, Spain): This delicious little gem from Spain is produced in the Methode Champenoise, the same method used to make Champagne. It boasts aromas of apple, grapefruit, lemon zest, minerals, nuts and honey. Very fresh, dry and brisk, with lively citrus flavors and a Prosecco-like frothiness (and who doesn’t like a little froth). It’s a light, refreshing style that’s meant to be drunk early and often.

And of course, you can buy one at the fancy Frankly Wines web site for just $44.99, more than a 10% discount off the regular combined prices.

Another 3-Pack: Rah Rah Riesling!

Originally published on April 20, 2009.

Wine geeks love Riesling. Perhaps because this grape reflects the specific site it’s from in a way that drives wine geeks crazy with wine geek glee.

But you don’t have to be a wine geek to enjoy a good Riesling. At Frankly Wines, we’ve put together a 3-Pack to introduce you to three from around the world. And because we don’t want fear of sweetness to scare anyone off, there’s not a sweet one in the bunch. All three are dry, dry, dry.

Van Voxlem Saar Riesling 2007 (Mosel, Germany): Heir to a massive beer-related fortune, Roman Niewodniczanski takes a “no expense spared” approach to his wines. He tracks down and purchases fabulously old vineyard sites that have been neglected and brings them back to their former glory. His single vineyard wines show all the complexity, concentration, and site-specific nuance that drive Riesling lovers mad. This bottle, from fruit sourced throughout the Saar shows off stunning minerality, bracing acidity, and notes of citrus and green apples. It’s one of those wines that is even better on the third day than the first, so drink it slowly, if you can! And if you don’t find this one dry enough, you may want to consider drinking sand with you next meal.

Torlesse Riesling 2007 (Waipara, New Zealand): NZ Rieslings may not be as well-known as Sauvignon Blanc, so consider it your little secret. Cool temperatures + dazzling sunlight result in a wine with zippy acidity, stony minerality and a bright, focused note of refreshing lime. This one, like many from NZ (and Australia) show an early hint of petrol character that German Rieslings tend to only get with age. Yes, petrol, oil, kerosene…just a touch of it is considered a good thing.

Ravines Dry Riesling 2007 (Finger Lakes, New York): A little bit closer to home – the Finger Lakes. Riesling likes a cool climate and it’s definitely cool up there. This one is the most floral of the bunch, with lime and mineral notes to spare. If you think Finger Lakes = sweet, this Riesling should change your mind.

PRICING: $49.99 (regular price $54.97).

Another 3-Pack: A Year in Provence

Originally published on April 12, 2009.

3-PACK: A YEAR IN PROVENCE

What, can’t afford a year in Provence? Well, neither can I. But you can still transport yourself there recession-style – with a matched set of this region’s beautiful wines….for less than the cost of simply checking a matched set of luggage.

I’m on a huge Provence wine kick right now. Rose season is right around the corner, and Provencal roses are probably what springs to mind when most people think “dry pink wine”.

I’ve also recently had a few distributors taste me on some great reds from the Bandol subregion (probably the best known wine from Provence after the pink stuff) and some very nice ones from the broader Cotes de Provence region. The best Bandols are made from nearly 100% Mouvedre. The Cotes de Provence reds generally are a blend of Cab Sauv, Syrah, and Grenache, and Mourvedre. The best will have give off a whiff of “garrigue” which is just the fancy French term for the herbs you’ll find grown in Provence (sage, rosemary, thyme). You won’t feel like you’re eating an herb garden, but this subtle note makes these reds different from anything else in the world…and it makes them an ideal pairing for lamb that has been rubbed in….well, sage, rosemary, or thyme.

And I’m really on a Provencal white kick. These wines can be tough to find here in the US. They’re made from not-very-well-known grapes like Clariette, Rolle, and Ugni Blanc. Semillon is probably the best know grape from the region, and it’s not exactly on most people’s list of everyday favorites. But if you like wines that are more about texture and subtlety than outright fruit, the region’s whites are worth seeking out. They’re the perfect match for grilled fish, which shouldn’t be a surprise given the amount of great grilled fish kicking around the Provencal coast.

So, if you’re intrigued, we have a three pack put together a Frankly Wines featuring a white, red, and rose. You can buy one on the Frankly Wines web site for $47.99. The regular price for all 3 bottles would be $54.97.

(Full Disclosure: I own the Frankly Wines store…

(NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: Not anymore I don’t!)

…but if you don’t already know that, well, I need to work on being a little more obvious about it!)

Here are the wines:

Clos Bernarde Tete de Cuvee Rouge 1999: A “Provencal” blend (meaning everything but the kitchen sink), this red has mellowed out over the last 10 years: subtle red fruits, dried herbs, and very soft tannins. Like I said above, it’s perfect with lamb.

Clos Bernard Blanc de Blancs 2005: Provencal whites are difficult to describe – they’re more about texture and subtlety than in-your-face fruit. We don’t see many of them in the US…because they pair so well with the region’s grilled fish dishes, the French are reluctant to give them up to anyone else.

Chateau Routas Rouviere Rose 2007: The Provencal staple – dry, subtle, elegant berry flavors and a beautiful pink color. This is what most people think of when they think “Provence.”

The two Clos Bernarde wines are imported by Blue Coast, an importer which specializes in wines from Provence and the Côtes d’Azur (“Blue Coast” in always less romantic English). I like to mention this because the owner is a woman, and it’s fairly rare to find a woman running a wine importing company. Perhaps even more rare than a woman who owns and operating her own store.

Gift Idea #2: Old World/New World Combo Packs

Originally published on December 17, 2008.

Yes I wrote about this idea in my newsletter, but I really love the idea. It’s educational, without being pretentious or too cutesy. It illustrates a point that wine geeks (like me) often go on about.

Old World wines (ie. Europe, more specifically France and Italy) are elegant, earthy, less-fruit driven than New World wines. Old World wines evolve in a positive way over time. They’re more complex. Wine neophytes and unsophisticated palates probably won’t appreciate them. New World wines are more approachable when young. They tend to be softer, richer, “lush”, loaded with big fruit and velvety vanilla tannins.

Or so say the stereotypes.

So I like the idea of Old World/New World combo packs because they let the customer see for themselves how these stereotypes play out. They can see which side they fall on. Or maybe they’ll realize they like both, but can understand why one sort of wine might have more appeal in a different setting than the other. And I really think that trying two “themed” wines side by side is the best way to learn.

These combo packs are also great from a retailer perspective because they can be tailored to almost any price point or taste.

  • You like crisp whites? Let’s try NZ Sauv Blanc vs. Bordeaux Blanc.
  • Big spicy reds? Pair a Northern Rhone Syrah with one from the Barossa in Australia.
  • A Bordeaux freak? Right Bank Bordeaux vs. South Africa Stellenbosch (Chateau Beau Vallon vs. De Toren Z is sounding really good right now).
  • Feeling flush? Barolo vs. a California Nebbiolo (perhaps Clendenen Nebbiolo from the Au Bon Climat master). Feeling really flush? Add on Vina Alicia’s Nebbiolo from Argentina.

Oh wait, I already wrote about that one in the newsletter. Well, somethings are worth repeating.

Chateau Musar – Cellar in a Box

Originally published on August 9, 2008.

One of the things I like most about being a retailer is dreaming up cool ways of selling wine – hang tags with quirky tasting notes, 2 or 3-packs that play on a theme or a varietal, rotating displays and features, and so on. For a while, I’ve wanted to put together some 12-bottle cases that play on different themes – summer whites, a Bordeaux starter case, a wine course in a box – the list could be endless. But the day to day of the store seems to always come first. But when I heard that one of my distributors was pre-selling some Chateau Musar back vintages, I decided I had to act!

Chateau Musar is one of my all-time favorite wines with a back story that’s the stuff of legends. Winery and vineyards are located in Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. Founded in the 1930’s, with wine produced in nearly every harvest despite battles waged among the vines. Cellars that served as bomb shelters in the 80’s. Certain vintages that taste of gunpowder.

What I really like about Chateau Musar is that it tastes like nothing so much as itself. When describing wine to customers, I’ll often compare regions and grapes, like some wino-version of a Hollywood pitch (it’s like a Beaujolais on steroids with a little bit of Shiraz-spice thrown in.) But with Chateau Musar, there are no comparisons. It’s a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Cinsault and a few other grapes. It’s a constantly evolving mix of exotic spices, stunningly vibrant fruit, earthy, gamey, meatiness. It lasts practically forever and is a classic example of a wine that you want to keep tasting as it changes. You want to grow old together.

Ah, growing old with a wine – buying a case or two of a specific vintage, drinking one bottle every year or so until you decide it’s just the way you like it and then polishing off what’s left. Such is the dream…You read that advice everywhere, but it’s not so practical in real life.

So when I heard that the Musar importer was putting some of the back vintages up for sale, I decided I was going to put together a little Musar cellar-in-a-box. 12 bottles of various vintages, including one bottle of the highly obscure Musar white.

It will include:

  • 3 bottles each of the 1997, 1995, and 1994 vintages – three very different young (for Musar) wines to be opened now, later and much later to see how they evolve
  • 1 bottle each of 1991 and 1988 – two older wines that are generally thought to be the two best vintages of the last 20 years
  • 1 bottles of the 1995 white, which is a whole other bottle of uniqueness – read about a recent vintage here

While it’s not cheap, I’ve priced it to be a much better buy than purchasing all the bottles individually (if you could even find them.) And it’s still much less than buying even one bottle of a top Bordeaux.

I think it’s a pretty cool concept. We’ll see if anyone else does.

This Week’s 3-Pack…..

Originally published on August 7, 2008.

A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: Over 10 year later and we’re still selling these wines up at Copake Wine Works. I walked in one weekend and there they were, on the shelf. Celene, my trusty manager who traveled up to the wilds of the Berkshires from Tribeca had tried them, liked them and added the to a recent order. Now she had never tried them back at the old store – they had left the market, or we had lost track of the distributor, or any of a million things that result in a wine disappearing from the shelves. But tasty wine at a good price (and yes, a cute bottle) will find a way to those who are always searching. Even if they are located way up in Copake!

….IS A 2-PACK!

Funky-looking bottles. Funky blends from a funny, little-known region of France. Lots of interesting facts for the wine-geeks among you, but for those just interested in good juice, this fits the bill.

Producer: J. MOURAT PERE & FILS – Father and son team, practicing organic.

Region: FIEF VENDEENS MAREUIL – An obscure region within France’s Loire Valley, near the Atlantic Ocean (“only a handful of minutes away” to quote the lovely translation on their web site). The region is part of the equally obscure VDQS classification. VDQS basically stands for “wine classified as superior quality”. It’s always mentioned in the the more academic (some would say pedantic) wine tasting courses out there, but rarely do you see it in real life – until NOW!

J Mourat ‘Collection’ Rouge: A blend of Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, and Negrette. (This is the definition of funky.) Soft red fruits from the Piont Noir, a litle bit of garden-fresh earthiness from the Cab Franc, and some extra structure from the Negrette. What, never heard of the Negrette grape? Neither had I until the day I bought this wine. And on that very day, I tried two different wines which had Negrette in the blend. This one, as well as one from Greece. Perhaps it’s the start of a trend?

J Mourat ‘Collection’ Blanc: A blend of Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc. (We did say ‘funky’.) I don’t know if it’s a rule, but both whites I’ve tried from this region were a blend of Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc. The Chenin Blanc gives the wine a crisp, almost racy acidity, citrus peel notes, and some minerality. All that raciness is balanced by the fuller Chardonnay which also adds a little hint of pear. It’s an odd combination but it works.

Long Time, No Post – Another 3-Pack

Originally published on June 22, 2008.

Yes, I’ve been delinquent with the posts, but a new baby is a pretty good excuse. I’m already back at the store (maternity leave has a whole new meaning when it’s your own business you’re taking leave from), but getting into fine blogging form would strain the system right now. Not that I’ve really been in fine blogging form yet – but for that, I’ll blame being pregnant from essentially the moment I signed the lease on the store. Priorities, priorities….

In the mean time, I’ll continue to mine my last “weekly” newsletter for posting materials (speaking of another thing that’s been a bit delinquent….)

On with the 3-pack….

Great Summer Whites You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
Be ahead of the curve and check out three great summer wines that aren’t exactly mainstream. What they all have in common (aside from the semi-unpronounceable names) is bright, crisp acidity. “Acidity” may not sound desirable in a wine, but it’s a very good thing – it makes your mouth water and gets you ready for another sip.

Crios Torrontes 2006 (Salta, Argentina): Torrontes is quickly becoming Argentina’s star white grape. Give it a sniff and you’ll get a nose full of citrus, white flowers, and a hint of spice. On the palate, it’s crisp, yet full-bodied. It’s always a crowd pleaser, so introduce your friends – they’ll thank you for it.

Dr. Konstantin Frank Rkatsiteli 2006 (Finger Lakes, New York): Impress your friends when you actually know how to pronounce the Rkatsiteli grape. (It’s r-kat-si-telly). Impress them again when they try this unique, intense, racy wine – limes, minerals, stone fruits, a mild spiciness and some floral notes.

Ameztoi Getariako Txakolina 2007 (Txacoli, Spain): This one’s from the Basque region, where x’s and z’s roam free. Txacoli is both the region and the style – it’s bone dry, with notes of citrus peel, tart Granny Smith apples, minerals, a bit of nuttiness, and a hint of effervescence to keep things lively. Fantastic with shellfish and salty snacks.

This Week’s 3-Pack: Oh Say Can You Sangiovese

Originally published on April 28, 2008.

OH SAY CAN YOU SANGIOVESE

You may have heard of Brunello di Montalcino. You have almost certainly heard of Chianti. But did you know that the main grape variety in both wines is Sangiovese? Or that Sangiovese vines can be found beyond Italian soil? Well, now you know. With this 3-Pack you can give this undercover grape a try.

Sonnino 2006 (Chianti Montespertoli DOCG, Italy)
Classic Chianti = classic Sangiovese = dried tart cherries, dusty tea leaves, medium body and lip-smacking acidity. Chianti is a food-loving wine, so be sure to drink it with some – Italian is the natural choice.

Girasole Vineyards Sangiovese 2005 (Mendocino, California)
Sangiovese, California-style. The wine has a touch of earthiness, but it primarily offers up bright, clean cherry fruit. You wouldn’t mistake if for Italian, but it’s lovable in its own right.

Mocali 2006 (Rosso di Montalcino DOC, Italy)
In the Montalcino region, Sangiovese is known as ‘Brunello’ (‘little dark one’) or ‘Sangiovese Grosso’ (big’ Sangiovese’). And Brunello di Montalcino is big-time, big-money Italian wine. Try a little taste of it (without the big bucks) in the region’s younger, more approachable Rossos. This version of Sangiovese is fuller-bodied, more earthy, with darker fruits and bigger, silky tannins.

Disturbing Fact: The name ‘sangiovese’ derives from sanguis Jovis, “the blood of Jove”. Drink up!!!