Most Shocking Beer

I don’t recommend drinking this beer straight out of the bottle!

Oldest Drinkable Bottle of Champagne

People ask us all the time how long you can age champagne.  When does it go bad?  The answer is that with good champagne or sparkling wine (technically, sparkling wine is the correct term for any ”champagne” that does not originate from the Champagne region of France), it can be aged 10 years or more if stored properly.  Correct storage means cool temperatures with the bottle positioned upright (as opposed to still wines, where you store the bottle on it’s side so the cork stays wet).  Apparently correct storage can also mean underwater.  Check out this article about the oldest drinkable bottle of champagne found in a shipwreck.  I’d love to taste that champagne!

Wine Tastings Bring People Together

It’s official: wine is good for your social life. Check out our monthly First Thursday Wine Tastings, on – you guessed it – the first Thursday of every month from 6:00 – 8:00 pm. For some first hand testimonials from our regular attendees, check out this article that recently ran in the Omaha World Herald.

Cheers – Drinking is Good for You!

In case you needed a little extra justification for that nightly glass of wine… check out this article.

Wine Values Take a Hit From Earthquake in Chile

Chilean wines are one of the best values in wine out there in recent years.  The climate is perfect for grape growing, production costs are low, and winemaking techniques have been fine tuned to product excellent wines at an incredible value.  But what will happen to Chilean wine prices in the aftermath of the Earthquake?  It’s too soon to tell, but some predict prices will increase as supply decreases.  One of Chile’s major producers, Concha y Toro (producer of value lines Frontera and Casillero del Diablo, as well as the premium wine Don Melchor) has sustained major damage and had to shut down production for at least a week.  The honeymoon with Chile’s bountiful value wines may soon be over.  Better stock up now!  Check out this article for more on the subject:  http://tr.im/QJXy

It’s a Great Time to Buy Wine!

This article caught my attention this morning.  In my experience, its pretty accurate.  We’re seeing a lot of great deals on wine from our wholesalers that we’re able to pass on to our customers.  It’s always a good time to buy wine, in my humble opinion.  But right now, you’re definitely getting your money’s worth.

Check it out: http://tr.im/HIs6

Are Wine Points Overrated?

With all the different wine ratings systems out there, there is a plethora of (often contradictory) information about wine reviews and ratings.  Between Wine Spectator, Robert Parker, Wine Library and others… you could make a full time job out of studying wine ratings to decide which wines to buy.  So how does one navigate the vast sea of wine ratings?  Here’s a suggestion: ignore them.  Let me give you some reasons why.

1.  There is some speculation in the industry that ratings can be bought.  (http://www.vinessetoday.com/artmanVT/publish/Editors_Journal/Can_Ratings_be_Bought.cfm)  If the wineries or distributors are paying for the ratings (or reviewers are taking kickbacks from them), how objective can they be?  

2.  It is impossible to be exhaustive in the list of wines reviewed.  There are just too many wines out there to make an exhaustive review realistic.  And there are some very good wines from small wineries that don’t have the budget or production levels to warrant sending their wines in for ratings.  They are often less expensive than their highly rated counterparts.  It would be a shame to miss out on those wines because Robert Parker didn’t tell you to drink them.  (The best way to find out about these wines is to ask your local retailer.)

3.  What if you don’t agree with the review?  Does that mean you shouldn’t drink the wine? 

Drinking wine is about the entire experience - from selecting the bottle to the way you feel the morning after drinking it.  I’m a firm believer that everyone’s taste is valid, from a $4 bottle of white zinfandel to a $1,000 bottle of Grands-Echezeaux.  All that really matters is that you enjoy the experience from start to finish.  Part of that means selecting a wine that tastes good to you.  Part of that means feeling like you got a good value - like you didn’t pay too much for what you got.  Part of it is the atmosphere in which you drank it, the company you were with, and the memory it created for you.  Maybe for you, knowing that Wine Spectator gave it a 92 enhances the experience, and there’s nothing wrong with that.  But I certainly don’t think it should define the experience.

For me, my review is all that matters.  Do I like the wine?  Was it a good value?  Do I have fond memories associated with drinking it?  I challenge you to ignore the ratings and come up with your own list of favorite wines.  Better yet, keep a wine journal and come up with your own rating system.  Maybe someday the world will be looking to you to tell them what to drink.

For an interesting study on whether points matter, check out the following article: http://savvysommelier.blogspot.com/2009/09/do-points-matter-results.html

First Thursday Tasting Notes

We have a wine tasting here at Spirit World on the first Thursday of every month, which I have not-so-cleverly (but informatively) named our ”First Thursday Tastings“.  Each month we feature wines from a different distributor, often sampling wines that are new to the market, great for a holiday, or have some other relevance to the occasion.  Last week for our First Thursday Tasting, we featured wines from a new distributor to the Nebraska market called Quench Fine Wines. 

I’m hearing some excitement out there from my customers about Quench coming to the Nebraska market, and for good reason.  Their portfolio is impressive.  Partly because of the high quality, low production (aka, expensive) wines they have listed.  Many of these wines haven’t been available in Nebraska before, or only in extremely limited quantities.  So it is exciting that we might be able to get our hands on them out here in a market that is typically one of the last to be allocated good wines.  It is too soon to tell whether these wines will be accessible in meaningful quantities, but I’m optimistic. 

The other reason the Quench portfolio is impressive, however, is because they have a fantastic selection of wines that are delicious, award-winning, and reasonably priced!  Offering a selection of value wines ($10-20 range) that are all truly good wines is no small feat. 

Apparently news of this delicious portfolio travels fast.  Many people who unfortunately missed our First Thursday Tasting (shame on you, people) have contacted me to ask how the wines were.  So I thought I would put the information out there for all to read.  Below are some tasting notes on the wines we sampled.  We will be carrying these and other Quench wines at Spirit World as long as supplies last and my customers continue to enjoy them.  If you’ve tried these or others from their portfolio, I’d love to hear what you thought of them.

 

McManis Viognier - Viogniers are generally very aromatic with ample fruit flavors.  I love them with a creamy textured fish, particularly Chilean sea bass.  This viognier was perfectly balanced with flavors of pears, apple and melon, accompanied by a rich mouth feel, nice acid balance and a clean finish.

 

Martinborough “Russian Jack” Sauvignon Blanc – This was the favorite white, and the all around favorite wine of the evening for most attendees of our tasting. This vibrant, full bodied white had flavors and aromas of gooseberry, passionfruit and elderflower. (What does elderflower taste like? Try St. Germain liqueur.)  An excellent summer porch wine for its light texture, crisp acidity and lengthy finish.

 

Lioco Chardonnay – Chardonnay is one of the last wines I reach for, but I actually really enjoyed this one.  It is stainless steel fermented with no oak aging, so it isn’t like drinking wood chips as some California Chardonnays can be.  It has some minerality to it, with flavors of stone-fruit and dried lemon peels.  For me, the unexpected surprise in this wine was the nice, creamy finish.

 

Bodegas Ercavio Tempranillo – Tempranillos are generally grown in a hot climate, and you can taste that in the dark fruit flavors of this wine.  It also has some earthy, minerally qualities on the nose and palate.  This was the crowd favorite of the red wines.

 

 

Le Salette Valpolicella – This is a unique Valpolicella in that it isn’t boring.  It has light, clean flavors of cranberry and red cherry with light tannins and crisp acidity.  An excellent wine to pair with lighter meat dishes or pasta with tomato sauce.

Hardy’s “Perfection” 140 Year Cognac

When I took over Spirit World a year and a half ago, I “inherited” the inventory on hand.  If you’ve been to Spirit World, you might know that in addition to a wide selection of everyday drinking items, we carry a selection of rare fine wines and spirits.  Because we have developed a reputation associated with this collection, people often ask us what our most expensive bottle is.  The answer?  Hardy’s “Perfection” 140 Year Cognac.  How much is it?  I don’t know.

That sounds strange, I know.  I have a bottle of cognac for sale, but I don’t know the value of it?  This Cognac is so rare that it is the type of item sold at auction, and the value is whatever the highest bidder is willing to pay.  So what makes it so special?

The origin of the eaux-de-vie that makes this Cognac rare and excellent dates back to the 1870′s, the pre-Phylloxera days. The founder of Hardy’s, Antoine Hardy, gathered several different batches of Cognac made from vines that were later destroyed by the disease. This particular Cognac is the oldest unblended Cognac in existence.  It comes from the area known today as Grande Champagne, and is composed of 100% French Colombard grapes.  This eaux-de-vie is pure and unblended at a natural strength of 41% volume.  Because the vines from which this Cognac originated were destroyed by Phylloxera, when “Perfection” is gone, it’s gone.  It can never be duplicated.

The Cognac is bottled in a magnificent Daum crystal decanter. Each of the 1200 decanters are numbered. We have bottle 302 out of 1200, along with the Certificate of Authenticity and original packaging.  It was first released in 1979, and one source states there are only 8 bottles in the world that remain unopened.   

What would this magnificent Cognac taste like?  The tasting notes say it has hints of chocolate and coffee, big oak and great balance with a complex finish. 

We have come to think of our bottle of Cognac as a fixture here at Spirit World.  But I have been doing some research lately on auctions for rare wine and spirits.  One bottle of the “Perfection” Cognac is currently for sale for $40,000.  I have to admit, that’s a number that makes me consider selling it. 

So, I am mulling it over, and I’m curious what people think.  What would you do?  Would you keep it or sell it?

Why I Love My Job

One of the best things about my job is that about 2-3 times a week, a distributor walks into my store and asks me if I will please try some of their wines.  Uhhh… twist my arm.  That’s a job perk even if the wines aren’t particularly special.  But occasionally I get to try something really amazing.  Today was one of those days.

Bear with me for a second.  Have you seen the 1994 movie “Disclosure” with Demi Moore and Michael Douglas (came out in 1994)?  Michael Douglas’s character is sued for sexual harassment by his former lover played by Demi Moore (and there’s a really steamy sex scene)?  Well one of the big pieces of evidence in the sexual harassment case was a bottle of Pahlmeyer wine, which at the time, was an extremely hard to find wine.  Since the movie came out, demand for Pahlmeyer skyrocketed, and production increased, and it is now available even in Nebraska (albeit, in limited quantities).  Their rep was in town today, and we got to sample 7 of their wines. 

My personal favorite was probably the Pahlmeyer Pinot Noir.  It is big for a pinot, and has quite a bit of earth and spice.  But it is delicate at the same time, like a good pinot should be.  Their Chardonnay is also really nice.  It is aged on French oak and undergoes malolactic fermentation, so you get that traditional oaky California Chardonnay with a buttery finish.  But the real killer wine is their Properietary Red Blend.  It is actually a Bordeaux blend, about 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, with some Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and a hint of Malbec.  They could call it a Cab because they’re in California, and your wine only has to be 75% of a varietal to label it as such.  But it is an homage to Bordeaux, so they call it a blend.  It is absolutely delicious.  Perfectly balanced acid, tannin and fruit.  It should be at $139.99 a bottle. 

I don’t often buy wines like that for my own consumption.  But some wines are really worth those prices, and I think this is one of those wines.  It is certainly a treat to try them as part of my job.  Did I mention that I love my job?