-Fête Nationale Française- |
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Next Friday, July 14th, marks the day of France's independence. Bastille Day is celebrated with fireworks, parades, parties, food and wine. Traditional holiday feasts are most often comprised of peasant foods to commemorate the proletariat nature of the 1798 Storming of Bastille. "Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe" or "luncheon on the grass" would be incomplete without a great bottle of French wine, so let's explore!
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Picnic - Rouge
When it comes to foolproof red wine for a French picnic, you can't go wrong with a light bodied option. Pinot Noir from Burgundy or Gamay from Beaujolais are your catch-all picnic pairings, ideal for dry-cured saucisson (sausage), Jambon De Bayonne (French prosciutto), and lighter pâtés such as chicken liver. We love the fruit driven André Bonhomme Bourgogne Rouge and the delicious La Pirolette Gamay from Beaujolais' Saint Amour. If you're enjoying popular Parisian lamb merguez sausage (essentially a French hot dog) or enjoy a wine with a bit more grip, try some Loire Valley Cabernet Franc. We love the Chanteleuserie which is a supple and approachable Cab Franc from Bourgueil.
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Bolder Rouge
When it comes to more robust picnic fair such as Game Pâté or Tourte Au Bœuf, you should spring for a bolder red wine with greater structure to match! We love red blends from the South of France. Maxime-François Laurent 'Il Fait Soif' Côtes du Rhône is vinified in a whole cluster style, making it fruit forward and food friendly. If you want to go full bodied and rich, Famille Fabre Lux De Luc from Corbiers is a velvety Syrah blend perfect for robust dishes or pungent blue cheese.
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Picnic - Blanc
For savory tartes, Alsace makes rounder bodied white wines, free from oak influence, such as Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Riesling and Gewürztraminer. Barmès-Buecher Pinot Blanc is a full bodied, mineral driven delight perfect for chicken liver pâté, soft cheeses or Quiche Lorraine. Michel Fonne Gewürztraminer is dry, aromatically concentrated, and lovely served with Foie Gras, Muenster, and aged Comté cheese. Château de Béru Chablis is a 400 year old winery that produces racy Chardonnay perfect for truffle mousse, oysters and goat cheese.
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Value - Blanc
If you're packing 'peasant foods' and want a value driven French white wine, try something less mainstream from regions such as Savoie, Gascogne, or Muscadet. Laude 'La Teuf' Cotes de Gascogne is an aromatic white wine perfect served with vegetable tartes, ashy goat cheese or fish terrine. Cognettes Muscadet is a coastal, mineral driven wine lovely with oysters, anchovies or cheeses such as Brie and Gouda. Philippe Viallet Savoie Blanc is a light, zesty white wine perfect raclette and other cow cheeses, savory vegetable tarts, and dried meats.
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Cocktail of the Week: Mai Tai
Going Classic Tiki with this one now that it is pool time. The history of this drink creation involved lawsuits between Don the Beachcomber and "Trader Vic". Both Icons in the Tiki world. "Trader" Vic is the one that came out on top with this one being able lay claim as inventor of the Mai Tai. There are a lot of variations of this drink out there and you can feel free to tweak this one with any number of things. This is a very basic recipe. Sticking with the 2 types of Rum, Lime, Orgeat and Orange Curacao. Here we go!
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INGREDIENTS
1oz Smith & Cross Jamaican Rum
.5oz Rhum Agricole
1oz Fresh Lime Juice
.5oz Orgeat
.5oz Orange Curacao
INSTRUCTIONS
Add all ingredients into a shaker and shake without ice. Pour over crushed ice into a Tiki mug if you got one. Top with more ice then garnish with a mint sprig, a lime wedge and fresh grated nutmeg.
Cheers,
Nikola
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Friday Tasting Table
Friday, 07/07/23, 4 - 8 p.m.
Join Cory of The Wine Company for a FREE wine tasting this Friday!
Get 10% off any single bottle of wine from the tasting table.
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6oz Pour
Wine Education Classes
France In 7 Glasses
Thursday, July 13
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m., $60
Selecting just 7 wines to introduce all the offerings from this vinous wonderland was quite a challenge and we did it! Over the course of this tasting, we’ll present you with an diverse array of classics wines from every major corner of France. Join us as we touch on the history, culture, and terroir of this rich and fabled land. We ask in advance that you pardon our French, pronunciation that is.
Reserve your seats on Tock
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Staff Picks - What to Drink this Week
Try these special, staff-selected libations!
2022 Tenuta Hans Rottensteiner 'Kitz' Dolomiti Bianco - $21.99
Tenuta Hans Rottensteiner is located in Bolzano, the capital city of Alto Adige, Italy. The Rottensteiner Family has been making wine since the year 1530. Traditionally in this part of the world, the family winery is passed down to the first born son. Hans Rottensteiner was the 2nd born son, so he started his own winery in the 1900s and now his son and grandson run the winery. The Kitz (named for the Ibex goat that roams the mountainside there) is a delightful blend of Sauvignon, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay. Fresh and fruity, this is the perfect wine for unfussy backyard hangs with friends!
-Angie
2022 Kind Stranger, Rosé, Columbia Valley, Washington State - $18.99
From Oldfield Vineyard in the Columbia Valley, Andrew Latta makes this rosé from Mourvèdre and Grenache grapes in the classic pale Provencal style.
This is a very small production wine using native yeasts for fermentation. The wine is a perfect summer sipper, dry and crisp with notes of strawberry, watermelon, fresh herbs, and citrus. Latta makes this Rosé, as well as a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Red Blend under the label Kind Stranger and donates sales proceeds to Mary's Place, a women's shelter in Seattle. A wonderful mission statement from this young owner and winemaker!
Cheers!
-Patrick
2022 Gramona Mart Rose - $32.99
One of the best roses we have tried this year hails from the Penedes region in Spain. Gramona are cava specialists but make this exceptional rose from a pink skinned mutation of the Xarello grape. The nose shows aromas of wild strawberry and herb and the medium bodied palate has watermelon and raspberry fruit with notes of honey and mineral. Enjoy this quaffable and layered rose as an aperitif or pair it with a spicy seafood dish.
-Rob
2020 Forge ‘Freese Vineyard’ Riesling - $31.99
This wine represents a real opportunity to change your perception of what Riesling can be. This small production (580 cases) is made with an eye toward Burgundian table wines and uses the unique qualities of it’s site and climate to push the boundaries of style. Up front, the wine achieves remarkable ripeness, showing a viscous, silky texture and flavors of nectarine despite its cool climate origin. It maintains a relatively light alcohol presence and bone dry residual sugar level. The finish veers back toward its cool climate roots with a lengthy dive into flavors of saline and mineral. Overall the Freese Riesling is intensely flavored yet fresh and zesty making it a fantastic food companion.
-Dave
Damso Lychee Soju - $7.99
My knowledge of flavors is roughly analogous to a 24-box of crayons. If you need to know what a gooseberry, calamansi, or currant taste like, I'm not the guy to tell you. Same goes for lychee, which is a berry mainly cultivated in southeast Asia that has a juicy, floral flavor with a touch of citrus. When you add this to soju, arguably the national spirit of South Korea, you get a fruity, floral drink that has as much alcohol as many wines. Damso's soju is a great place to start if you want to dip your toes into the world of soju without spending uncomfortably. On top of that, our store also carries peach and watermelon flavors of Damso, in case lychee isn't quite your speed. Try it today and expand your horizons!
-Nick N
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VERY IMPORTANT - Furry Friend Visits! |
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Cheers, Everyone!
The Team at North Loop Wine & Spirits
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