September 1, 2009 Volume: # 2     Issue: # 35
Save 10% on 12 mix and match bottles of wine, everyday!
 
Our Patio is open for Lunch & Dinner daily.

Sun Singer News


Labor Day Weekend
Sun Singer will be open regular hours throughout the Labor Day weekend.  You can count on us for all of your holiday party needs. Our patio is a great place to relax and enjoy these fleeting days of summer.
 
Traditionally, Labor Day is celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer. The holiday is often regarded as a day of rest and parades.  Forms of celebration include picnics, barbecues, fireworks displays, water sports, and public art events. Families with school-age children take it as the last chance to travel before the end of summer recess. Similarly, some teenagers and young adults view it as the last weekend for parties before returning to school.  In addition, Labor Day marks the beginning of the NFL and college football seasons. The NCAA usually plays their first games the week before Labor Day, with the NFL traditionally playing their first game the Thursday following Labor Day.

Sun Singer's 6th Annual Gala Wine Tasting
Grab your planner,  your pda or just slap a note on the frig, but whatever you do  save the date of Thursday, October 22, 2009 from 5 to 8 pm when you are invited to Sun Singer's 6th Anniversary Gala Wine Tasting in conjunction with the  Orpheum Children's Science Museum in downtown Champaign.   Enjoy the  wonder of an evening in the newly restored Orpheum Theatre while you sample from over 250 wines from select vineyards around the world.  Tickets  available at the door.  Generous discounts will be available on wine purchases made at the Gala.  Save the date and watch for more information upcoming in future newsletter issues.

Facebook Fans
We are closing in on 300 Fans of Sun Singer on Facebook.  Fans receive the daily special and soups via status updates, access to photos, the ability to post your own review.  You will also get the most up to date notices of new products and limited item releases.  If you are not a fan on Facebook you can become one by clicking the link at the bottom of this email.  Become a fan today.

Gift Baskets are Great
Gift Baskets are always in style and Sun Singer makes the best gift baskets in Urbana-Champaign.  No matter the occasion, we'll help you deliver the perfect gift sure to delight and bedazzle!

Come share some wine with us  soon.

Best Wishes,

Mark, Jackie & the Sun Singer Staff  

In This Issue
Wine 101
Hop Scotch
Wine Bar Update
Oktoberfest
Fall In Love
Cookies
 

 
Upcoming Events
Sunday, Sept. 13th
Wine 101:
Wine Fundamentals
4:00 pm
 
Tuesday, Sept. 22nd
Hop Scotch:
A Tour of Scotch
7:00 pm
 
Sunday, Sept. 27th
Wine 102
4:00 pm
  
Happy Labor Day!
Sensational Saturday Tasting
Labor Day Weekend!
Saturday, September 5th
12noon - 4:00 p.m.

Price: Complimentary   

Ah, Labor Day weekend. For many of us, it's our last chance for summer barbecues, mini-trips to Turkey Run and white pants. Summer, we'll sure miss you. As you say your final farewell to long hot summer nights, make Sun Singer a part of your extended three-day weekend. Come in this Saturday to taste 2 white wines, 2 red wines and 2 beers. 
Sun Singer offers complimentary tastings every Saturday afternoon between 12noon - 4:00pm. We invite you to join us each and every Saturday afternoon as we explore the many pleasures of the palate!

Click here for a complete list of Saturday's tasting.
 
Next Week:  Washington Wines 
 
P.S. We offer a great lunch in our Wine Bar Cafe.  Stop by for the fun, stop by to refresh and refuel. Join us for 'Lunch and a Taste' every Saturday at Sun Singer.


Wine 101: An Introduction
Sunday, September 13th
4:00 - 6:30pm
Our Price: $20/person

Join us at Sun Singer as we
de-mystify the world of wine. Wine 101 will introduce you to the everyday pleasures of wine.

We will begin this interactive class by discussing the various approaches to wine.  We'll cover some of the basic wine terminology and flavor components of wine. We'll also talk about where wine comes from, how it is made and the characteristics of the 7 basic wine grape varieties as well as tasting the wines.
 
Class is scheduled to last 2 hours.  However, the Question & Answer time at the end of the prepared class has been known to last an additional hour as Brian likes to answer all of the participants' questions.
 
After this introduction you'll feel more comfortable with the 'language' of wine, ordering wine in a restaurant and how to explain what you want from a wine when choosing one in the store. With any luck you'll be on the road to a lifetime of enjoyment in a world of wine! 
 
Sign up today by calling Sun Singer at 351-1115.


Hop Scotch: A Tour of Scotch
Tuesday, September 22nd 
7:00 pm
Our Price: $30/person

Join us at Sun Singer as we
discover how Scotland's whisky producing regions influence the unique flavor and character of their single malts. You will learn about the locations of Scotland's distilleries and get a real insight into why the geography and ancient geology that has shaped Scotland also influences her whiskies.

Learn the typical flavors and characteristics for the four main whisky regions: Lowland, Highland, Islay and Campbelltown Malt Whisky regions.  Sun Singer manager Brian Bowman will be your tour guide as you nose and taste 6 different 12 year old Scotches.
 
Sign up today by calling Sun Singer at 351-1115.


New This Week
@ The Wine Bar
 
 
New wines September 2nd
at the Sun Singer Wine Bar.

 
Fairvalley Chenin Blanc 2008
South Africa
Unoaked, fresh fruit driven style of Chenin Blanc, with crisp
mineral backbone. Pleasingly rounded with pineapple/melon hints on the finish make this a cheerful, easy drinking quaffer!
 
2 ounce $2.25  5 ounce $4.50  bottle $16.00

 
Sonoma Cutrer 'Russian River Ranches' Chardonnay 2007
Sonoma Valley, California
Fresh, intense aromas with floral highlights of acacia blossoms move quickly to more traditional Chardonnay aromas of pear, peach, and apple. Tropical notes of guava and toasted coconut are joined by hints of lemongrass and vanilla. The wine is beautifully balanced, delicate yet rich and creamy with well integrated oak. A touch of crème fresh enhances our fruit-forward style, with mineral notes in adistinctive lingering finish.
 
2 ounce  $4.00  5 ounces $8.00  375ml bottle $15.00
 
 
Wrongo Dongo 2007
Jumilla, Spain
Silly name, and not very Spanish sounding, but if it's an absolute steal! This wine is 100% monastrell, same thing as mourvedre, Primary dark berry aromas are brightened by baking spices and cracked pepper. Juicy, straightforward blackberry and cherry flavors offer youthful bitterness and good cut. Fattens up on the finish, which is sweet and deep.

2 ounce  $2.25  5 ounces $4.75  bottle $17.00
 
Oktoberfest Beers Arriving 
A huge misconception regarding Oktoberfest beers is that they are actually around in the month of October. While some are still left over during the month they are named after, several of the more popular ones will be long gone by the time the 10th month rolls around. The Germans start celebrating Oktoberfest in mid September, and the world's largest fair always ends on the first Sunday in October (although the last Sunday is no doubt a mega celebration). This year Oktoberfest will be celebrated from September 19th - October 4th.

Oktoberfest beers are lagers, and were traditionally brewed in spring for consumption in the fall. They are usually rich and malty with an ABV around 5-6%. Malt characteristics include roasted, toasted, burnt, and caramel. These brews are usually regarded as light and refreshing, and are swell session beers.

HOFBRAU Oktoberfest
A flavorful lager with a slightly spicy hint of hops in flavor and finish. A little fuller than the Hofbrau Lager. This beer was originally made to celebrate the wedding of Prince Ludwig and changed to this more blond style.
 
KOSTRITZER Oktoberfest
For those of you used to starting Oktoberfest off with a Spaten (like, for example, most of München), you might find this a bit smoother, and a lot more drinkable if you've had limited experience with Festbiers. It's less amber-colored than most, a lot closer in color to a standard lager, but it still has that malty texture, and it goes down oh so well.

ERDINGER Oktoberfest
The Oktoberfest Weizen has been a tradition in Germany for over 60 years, and is brewed with caramelized barley and wheat malts. An Oktoberfest/hefeweizen hybrid - how could this possibly taste? Well, exactly as it sounds. Since this is a wheat beer the most noticeable aspect to the palate is its grainy side. It's very clean-tasting with only trace amounts of sweetness to the flavor. What is noticeable is the inclusion of marzen-style malts, especially caramel. It all adds up to form a really unique, although slightly dry taste.
 
SAMUEL ADAMS Octoberfest
Primarily malty, slightly fruity with low to meduim bitterrness. Pairs nicely with grilled, light- colored meats, like grilled turkey, chicken, or pork. It would also go well with beef stew and some other meat dishes.

LEINENKUGEL'S Oktoberfest
Leinenkugel's Oktoberfest is a traditional German Marzen-style bier brewed with Munich, Caramel and a blend of 2-row Pale malts. These barley malts give Leinie's Oktoberfest a rich, hearty character and deep amber color. Four hop varieties provide an aromatic and smooth, well-balanced lager.

AUGUST SCHELL'S Octoberfest
"August Schell's Annual Octoberfest beer just keeps getting better and better. It is big, full bodied, complex, balanced, smooth and delicious. It's hard to ask a beer to be all of those, but it is."
-James D Robertson, author, A Connoisseurs Guide To Beer.

CAPITAL BREWERY Oktoberfest
This traditional marzen beer shows off a gorgeous, fiery amber color. The flavor emphasizes a rich, almost "toasted" flavor from the malt. A classic style beer.

 
WINE WORDS
 
grape cluster beginning veraison 
 
Concentrated
 
Fine wines, whether they are light-, medium-, or full-bodied, should have concentrated flavors. Concentrated denotes that the wine has a depth and richness of fruit that gives it appeal and interest. Deep is a synonym for concentrated.
 

Fall In Love Again!
 
 
Darby & Joan Chardonnay 2007
South Australia, Australia
 
A wine that will make you fall in love with Chardonnay, the world's greatest, classic white grape variety all over again...
 
The wine has a light straw color. The aroma displays lifted melon characters with subtle hints of passionfruit and oak complexity. A rich wine on the palate, it balances both textural mouthfeel with clean acid finish.
 
R Wines was founded by partners Dan Philips and Chris Ringland, one of world's leading and most gifted winemakers. Chris leads teams of winemakers and viticulturalists managing vineyards Australia wide.
 
Come in and enjoy a glass at the Wine Bar or take a bottle home
 
 
September Cheese Selections
 
 
 
 
Dubliner
 
Derby Sage
 
Emmanthaler
 
Champignon
 
Benning Gouda
 
Royal Windsor Red
 
Learn more ... 


Jennie and Vera's
Cookies
Cookies open minds to tell stories.
 


Jennie and Vera's Cookies are hand-crafted cookies made with the simplest, finest ingrediants by mother and daughter team Jennie Nass and Vera Mirkovic.  Each of Jennie and Vera's cookie tells a story - past, present, and future - about love, family, traditions, and the trusted friendships in our lives. Their distinctive gourmet tastes become the medium to explore the story and bring vision to a memory. They are an inspiration, and just savoring them may lead to something completely unexpected.

Sun Singer offers:
Almond Moon
Macadamia Cappucino
& Chocolate Spice

Buy a cookie, gain a memory.
BEAT the HEAT 
Electra Slushies!
 
 
Electra Slushies 
 
We have the coolest way to beat the summer heat ready for you day and night at the Wine Bar Cafe.  Go ahead the let the summer sizzle while we cool you down with our exclusive icy, adult treat. What a delight they are!  Join us today  for a little bit of 'Liquid Heaven'!

 
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