Staff Picks: What to Drink This Week
Things our staff thinks you should drink!
Broc Cellars Love Red 2020, California - $22.99
With that certain holiday right around the corner we all have love on our minds. Whether it's a romantic night in or ladies night with your best galentines, this quaffable red from Chris Brockway is sure to please. A crushable blend of Carignan, Syrah and Valdiguie made with minimal intervention, is best with a slight chill. This light-bodied lovely offers up hints of brambly wild raspberry, sour cherry and spice with plenty of bright acidity.
-Angie
Stolpman 'Love You Bunches, Skin Contact' White Blend, Santa Barbara - $28.99
What do you pair with false Spring? We know the cold is coming back. For all I know, by the time you read this, it could be 20 below. None of that matters. The 2021 Stolpman 'Love You Bunches : Skin Contact Edition' will catapult you right into the tropical bliss of Spring.
The Love You Bunches suite of wines, including the rosé and orange are some of the first 2021's to hit the market. They are made in a whole berry, carbonic style to accentuate fruit and color and avoid any harsh tannin. This year's release adds a bit of Gewurztraminer to the Pinot Gris, Semillon, Orange Muscat blend to add color, texture and aromatic lift. The overall effect is a fruit riot with a cutting citrus backbone and the bright, orangey hue of a sunset. Party on.
-Dave
Valentine White Blossom Vodka - $27.99
Using a unique blend of grains in their craft vodkas, Valentine sets itself apart with their award-winning White Blossom vodka. They blend elderflower and grapefruit together to create flavors of lychee, peach and elderflower, like a stronger, less sweet version of St. Germain. Lightly sweetened with natural beet sugar, the palate has a silky medium body with notes of citrus, elderflower and a peppery spice on the finish. This is the perfect vodka for your Valentine — give them a different type of bouquet this year with White Blossom vodka from Detroit.
Try a Pink Petal Cocktail
1.5 oz White Blossom Vodka
1.5 oz Grapefruit Juice
.5 oz Cranberry Juice
Combine vodka and grapefruit in a shaker with ice, strain into a martini glass. Sink cranberry juice, and garnish with a lime wedge.
-Amanda
Fot-Li Vermut Rojo - $16.99
In the world of vermouth there has been tried and true styles that have been around for centuries. Fot-Li is something new. In fact, it's a little odd that it's called a Rojo Vermouth because it's made with entirely white grapes. The amber hue comes from the spices that are infused within. Sweeter than a rouge vermouth but with less bitterness, there are many infused spice notes appearing such as cardamom, hazelnut, and nutmeg. I enjoy this vermouth by itself but I've also had great luck with making a quick refreshing spritz and playing with some cocktails. P.S. This vermouth loves rye!
In a shaker add:
2 oz Templton 4yr Rye
1 oz Fot-Li
3/4 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao
1 oz lime juice
1/4 oz simple syrup
Fill with ice and shake
Strain using a hawthorne strainer and a mesh strainer into a tall collins glass filled with ice
Garnish with a lime wheel
Enjoy!
-Quinn
2020 Coudert Clos de la Roilette Fleurie Beaujolais - $28.99
This staff favorite is back in stock and it doesn't miss a step after the epic 2019 vintage. Easily one of the best sub $30 Cru Beaujolais in the market, the 2020 Clos de la Roilette has pretty aromas of rose petal, berry, and sweet spice. This medium-plus-bodied stunner shows raspberry and blackberry fruit on palate with subtle floral notes and gentle tannin. The food capacity of this wine is endless. Try with your favorite fried chicken or steak frites.
-Rob
In Sheep's Clothing, Cabernet Sauvignon, Washington - $19.99
This lovely Washington Cabernet Sauvignon is made by none other than André Hueston Mack of Maison Noir (featured above). Most people know him for his Oregon wines, but this Cabernet hails from the gravelly slopes of Washington: the Red Mountain AVA (60%) and the Wahluke Slope AVA (40%). This wine is WAY more structured and defined than any $20 Cab ought to be. If you're looking for "bruting on a budget" this is the big, black-fruited, intense Cabernet of your dreams! Pair with a personal box of chocolates and drink while enjoying a bubble bath.
Happy Valentines Day!
-Katrina
2016 Domaine La Tour Vieille, Rimage, Banyuls (500ml) - $26.99
Roses bought. Chocolate bought. So. You might think you've got Valentine's Day gifts for your sweetheart covered. May I offer you an additional gift idea that will positively make the chocolate sing and your sweetie swoon? Banyuls is a small French wine region only a couple of miles from the Spanish border, on the Mediterranean Coast. The dessert wine produced here has become justly famous over the years (maybe even better than fine ruby Port!). This 2016 Banyuls vintage, from Domaine La Vieille, is made primarily from Grenache Noir grapes with just a dash of Carignan. The fermentation process in making the wine is purposely arrested by adding distilled spirits to become "fortified" for longer life and to retain the desired high level of sugar for a decadently rich palate of sweet strawberry, black currant, and raspberry, touched with a hint of spice. The resultant elixir is a perfect match for chocolate truffles, fudge, fondant, mousse... (you get the picture)... especially when the chocolate lingers on your tongue as you sip the Banyuls. Heaven. For all of you Valentine's Day lovers out there, I say go for this dessert wine to complete a Valentine's Day trifecta!
Vive L' Amour!
-Patrick
