Looking at a Glass of Wine 

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Is the glass Half Empty or Half Full?
November 13th, 2009
Greetings!

Often when we pour a glass of wine, we take a few moments to look at it in the glass.  Why do we do this?  What does it tell us?  Believe it or not, we learn a lot about the wine we are about to enjoy from looking at the wine in a glass.

First, we take a look to make sure the wine does not have any obvious faults.  We want to make sure the wine is clear.  A wine that appears cloudy or fizzy (and it is not a sparkling wine) has a fault.  We won't want to drink it. 

Second, we can learn a lot about the wine by looking at the color and the intensity of the color.  Red wines can range from purple to ruby to garnet to brick.  White wines can range from very pale, almost watery in color, to lemon yellow to gold to deep gold.  If we are tasting a wine blindly, the color can give us clues as to the varietal and the age of the wine.  The intensity of color can be an indicator of age.  As a red wine ages, the color will fade; whereas, with a white wine, the color will deepen.  Moreover, different grape varietals have different shades of color.  A wine that was a deep color is most likely made from a thick-skinned grape like a Nebbiolo or Syrah.

Third, we swirl the wine in the glass - my favorite part!  After swirling, we watch the legs stream down the side of the glass.  The more viscous the wine, the more the legs sheet along the side of the glass.  The wine with a lot of legs will have more body than one with few legs.

Let's take our focus from looking at the wine to tasting the wine!  Here are the details for the wines to be tasted Friday night. 
Wines for Friday's Tasting!
Paringa Sparkling Shiraz
$14.99 a bottle, $152.88 for a case, or $12.74 a bottle as part of a mixed case
 
Yes, this is a sparkling Shiraz, it is red, and we think it is perfect for the Fall.  The juice used to make Paringa's Sparkling is the same as the Paringa Shiraz, except the result has bubbles and a dosage (a touch of sweetening that is added to sparkling wines before bottling). It's a dark, deep magenta red, rich, creamy, persistent, and juicy - full of raspberry fruit. It is gorgeous to look at and surprisingly complex and stunning to drink. Wonderful as a pre-dinner drink, it will be fantastic at Thanksgiving and excellent with desert.  You gotta try it! 
Jean-Philippe Fichet Bourgogne Blanc 2007
$29.99 a bottle, $305.88 for a case, or $25.49 a bottle as part of a mixed case

Jean-Philippe Fichet is one of Burgundy's greatest talents and his wines are just as extraordinary.  Alan Meadows, from Burghound (the authority on wines from Burgundy), said, "As I have said repeatedly, the Fichet wines are among the very best and purest in Burgundy."  Fichet capitalizes on the richness of the terroir of Meursault, one of the absolute best sites in the world for growing Chardonnay.  A combination of extremely low yields in the vineyard combined with little new oak and patience in the cellar, leads to his success in producing stellar white Burgundies.  His Bourgogne Blanc is a delicious, crisp example of Chardonnay.  With the first sip you get a glimpse of the complexity that Fichet's wines offer.  And at this price for white Burgundy it is a true value! 
Hansom Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
$32.99 a bottle, $336.48 for a case, or $28.04 a bottle as part of a mixed case

The 2007 Hansom Cabernet is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, all benchland fruit grown in between Rutherford and St. Helena in the Napa Valley.  Made by an excellent producer, (if you come in we will tell you who it is... we just can't put it in an email!) whose first label sells for twice to three times this amount.  The wine is aged in all French oak, fifty percent new oak, sourced from several coopers to give the wine a touch of oak which is perfectly balanced.  And the alcohol level is proudly under 14%!  Hansom represents a wine made in a very traditional style, no fining or filtration. The result is perfectly balanced and simply delicious!
Our Wine Clubs

Selections for October have been made and they are all delicious!

The Boutique Series
$50 a month plus shipping and handling,
complimentary local delivery

This month's selections includes two delicious wines from Tuscany in honor of Andrea's trip: the Buondonno Chianti Classico 2007 and the Melini Chianti Riserva Selvanella 2003. 

Grape Distinctions
$75 - $100 a month plus shipping and handling, complimentary local delivery

This month's selections include 2 wines from the Priorat in Spain.  The first is a very rare white, the Nunci Blanc Priorat 2005 and the second, a red, Mas Doix Priorat Salanques 2005. 

Cellar Collectibles
$100 - $150 a month plus shipping and handling, complimentary local delivery

This month's selections include two hard to find wines from California that happen to both be signed: Shafer One Point Five 2006 and Hall Vineyards Kathyrn Hall Cabernet Sauvignon 2005.

To enroll or if you have questions about the clubs, email us at clientservices@tewksburyfinewine.com or call 908-439-0007.
 
New Weeknight Tastings!

Stop in on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday nights to try some of our weeknight wines through the end of the year.

We will have some of our favorite weeknight wines open during the week for you to taste on your way home. 

We'll see you soon!
 
November
Wines of the Month:



Paringa Sparkling Shiraz 2008
$14.99 a bottle, 152.88 for a case, or $12.74 a bottle as part of a mixed case

We are tasting this wine Friday night.  Please see the description in the column to the left.


Ott Fass 4 Gruner Veltliner 2008
$23.99 a bottle, $244.68 for a case, or $20.39 a bottle as part of a mixed case

We've decided that this year we would feature this Gruner Veltliner as one of our choices for Thanksgiving.  The Ott FASS 4 is a wonderful food wine.  A smokiness is evident over a background of tangerine and grapefruit.  The spiciness and fresh, velvety texture coupled with racy acidity makes it a terrific food wine. It simply is a classic Gruner Veltliner with a smooth finish.  And everyone who has tried it already, has come back for more!

Domaine du Vissoux Beaujolais Veilles Vignes 2008
$18.99 a bottle, $193.68 for a case, or $16.14 a bottle as part of a mixed case

Domaine du Vissoux has shown that it is totally possible to be completely natural and great, at once.  It is as natural a Beaujolais as one could have had in a café in Lyon in the late 40's. The Vielles Vignes (old vines) is the emblematic cuvée from the estate.  Freshness meets concentration with this wine and shows in ripe red fruit aromas and flavors.  Try this wine to see what Beaujolais is really all about!   
 
Buondonno Chianti Classico 2007
$22.99 a bottle, $234.88 for a case, or $19.54 a bottle as part of a mixed case

As mentioned last week, when visiting Tuscany last month, Andrea fell in love with this estate!  Buondonno's vineyards are certified organic.  The Buondonno Chianti Classico has an intense ruby red color, the fragrance has aromas of ripe red fruits with hints of spices and vanilla. The tannins are sweet and persistent.  For all of our Chianti lovers, you have to try this wine!!  See why Andrea fell in love with this estate.

We hope you will try a few wines or even a mixed case of wines.  We'll open the wines for Friday's tasting around 4:00.  Looking forward to seeing you soon, and most importantly, thanks for your continued support!
 
Cheers!
Andrea
Contact Information
Andrea Maranca
One Old Turnpike, PO Box 377, Oldwick, NJ 08858
T:  908.439.0007  F:  908.439.9997     www.tewksburyfinewine.com