| January 20, 2010 |
Volume: # 3 Issue: # 3
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Sun Singer NewsWe've had a great response to our upcoming Terroir of Scotch tasting after the article went out with last week's newsletter. We're more than half full and going for broke! Don't be left out in the cold when you want the fulfillment and warmth of a world of scotches. Call today at 351-1115 to make your reservations. Read more about the Terroir of Scotch in the article below.
'All You Need is Love' Weekend!
January is flying by, next stop is Valentine's Day! We invite you to make Sun Singer part of the romance for Valentine's weekend of February 12, 13 & 14th. We'll be sprucing the place up a bit. Our Chef Sherry is busy working on a few new delights for the occasion. They'll be romantic music, enticing wines and love stories playing. We just need you to make the scene complete. No winter isn't over 'til it's over, but we're going to warm things up for this weekend. Won't you join us!
More Upcoming Events
Take a glance at the sidebar to find a listing of our upcoming events. In addition to the Terroir of Scotch tasting, we have a Wine 101 Class on Tuesday, February 2nd. Wine 101 is a great place to secure your footing in the world of wine. Following Wine 101, we'll be offering Wine 102 on Tuesday, February 23rd. Like finer wines, Wine 102 adds greater depth and complexity to your knowledge and experience of wines. We're also proud to announce that Brian Bowman has developed Wine 103 which is scheduled to debut on Tuesday, March 30th. We've been looking forward to the final leg of this trilogy and you can be sure that Brian will not disappoint. Wine 103 will focus on food and wine pairing, and you can look forward to more details in upcoming editions of the newsletter so stay tuned!
Shape the Future
Now you can have your say on the future of the Sun Singer page on Facebook! We recently have added several new items to our Facebook page yet it is still a relatively blank canvas. So we are giving you (our fans) the opportunity to form the future of Sun Singer on Facebook.
What content would you like to see more of? Is it more notes, more photos, more updates, all of these or maybe something different? Would you like to find out more about our staff? RSS feeds? Polls and surveys?
In addition, we always like to hear from you, be it reviews, news, tips or suggestions.
To Your Health,
Mark, Jackie & the Sun Singer Staff
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Sensational Saturday Tasting 
Searching For Value!
Saturday, January 23rd 12noon - 4:00 p.m.
Price: FREE!
Lately, I've been getting a lot of questions about value wines. Wine drinkers are looking to get the most bang for their buck. My favorite value country is Chile. Join us at Sun Singer this Saturday between Noon and 4pm as we several wines from South America, Italy and Spain that have a small price but big flavors. There will even be one beer!
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.
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.
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Wine 101: An Introduction
Tuesday, February 2nd 
7:00 pm
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. |
Terroir of Scotch
Thursday, February 4th
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 10 & 12 year old Scotches.
Your price of admission includes a Glencairn official Scotch nosing glass (a $12 value). Seats are limited and will go quickly.
Sign up today by calling Sun Singer at 351-1115. |
From the Cellar:
New This Week
@ The Wine Bar
New wines January 19th at the Sun Singer Wine Bar.
Always changing, always something new to try!
Opulent Aussie!
 Anaperenna Shiraz-Cabernet 2006
by Ben Glaetzer, Australia
2 ounce $8. 5 ounce $16. bottle $64.
Anaperenna is 75% 85-year old Barossa Shiraz and 25% 60 year old Barossa Cabernet fermented and aged in all new (primarily French) oak, the alcohol a modest 14.5%. Bottled unfiltered, it's as pure an example of
this classic Barossa blend as you'll find, which Wine Advocate (correctly) notes, "...offers a sensational bouquet of pain grille, scorched earth, meat, game, blueberry, and black currants. This is followed by a surprisingly elegant yet powerful, structured wine with gobs of spicy fruit, ripe tannins, and a plush texture. The long, 60-second finish is succulent and sweet. 94-97 points."
Drathen Riesling Bereich Nierstein Kabinett '08,
Rheinhessen, Germany
The fresh, fruity flavor of apples is balanced by the crispness and
a mineral finish.
Allendorf Winkeler Riesling Spätlese '07, Rheingau, Germany
Classic varietal fruit on the nose with floral and citrus overtones. Full-bodied and dry in style with a crisp, racy acidity, derived from late harvested ripe grapes.
Huntington Sauvignon Blanc '07, Sonoma, California
Decidedly broad with smooth and subtle acidity and delicious crisp flavors, this wine glides across the palate before ending with a balanced finish.
Carneros Creek Reserve Pinot Noir '07, Carneros, California
Ripe red cherry, sweet oak and chocolate aromas meld into like flavors, ripe red/black cherry, Bourbon barrel oak tones, complex, silky yet generous ripe red fruit flavors end in a long soft finish.
Saulina Chianti '06, Tuscany, Italy
The bouquet shows the classic berry-spicy-flowery notes of young sangiovese from chianti. It is soft, tasty and well-balanced.
Maipe Malbec '08, Mendoza, Argentina
A striking perfume of violets, black cherry and black raspberry. Exhibiting surprising complexity, the wine has gobs of fruit, savory flavors and excellent depth and length.
R Collection Merlot '06, California
Aromas of red cherry, red plum, cassis, raspberry, anise, chocolate and spice. Fills the mouth with Bing cherry, plum and raspberry with notes of clove and peppery spice before the smooth vanilla finish.
Castle Rock Cabernet Sauvignon '06, Paso Robles, California
Aromas of dark cherry and molasses, and is loaded with nuance and flavor. On the palate it gives flavors of black cherry, ripe plum and spice with hints of light oak.
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Tea 101
January Is National Hot Tea Month
 January is a time for new beginnings, health and the home. It is also National Hot Tea Month so we thought we would give you a primer on tea.
Of historical note, tea is nearly 5,000 years old and was discovered, as legend has it, in 2737 b.c. by a Chinese emperor when some tea leaves accidentally blew into a pot of boiling water. In the 1600s tea became popular throughout Europe and the American colonies. Since colonial days, tea has played a role in American culture and customs. Today American schoolchildren learn about the famous Boston Tea Party protesting the British tea tax -- one of the acts leading to the Revolutionary War. During this century, two major American contributions to the tea industry occurred. In 1904, iced tea was created at the World's Fair in St. Louis, and in 1908, Thomas Sullivan of New York developed the concept of tea in a bag.
All tea comes from the "Camellia sinensis", an evergreen shrub that may grow up to 60 feet in the wild. When cultivated for harvest the tea bushes are kept to a height of about three feet. There are over 3000 varieties of tea each with its own specific characteristics. The naming and growing of teas has many similarities to wine. Just as Bordeaux wine is named after the Bordeaux region in France, Assam is named after the Assam region in India, and Keemun is named after the Keemun region of China. Like wine, tea comes from one bush, and where the tea is grown, the climate, soil conditions, and how the tea is processed, determines the flavor characteristics of the tea.
Tea is harvested after each flush - the sprouting of the top two leaves and bud. The top two leaves and bud are hand plucked and then processed into any of the four types of tea, which are Black, Green, Oolong, and White.
Black tea is withered, fully oxidized and dried. Black tea yields a hearty, amber-colored brew. Some of the popular black teas include English Breakfast, and Darjeeling.
Green tea skips the oxidizing step. It is simply withered and then dried. It has a more delicate taste and is pale green / golden in color. Learn more about Green Tea.
Oolong tea, popular in China, is withered, partially oxidized, and dried. Oolong is a cross between black and green tea in color and taste. White tea is the least processed. A very rare tea from China,
White tea is not oxidized or rolled, but simply withered and dried by steaming.
The main chemical substances in tea are essential oils, caffeine, and polyphenols (known by many people as tannins). The essential oils give us the aroma of the tea, the caffeine stimulates the central nervous system, and the polyphenols account for the much publicized antioxidant and anti-disease properties.
View the Sun Singer Tea Menu... |
A Little Wine News...
Wine Ratings
What's
all the fuss about listening to "wine experts" telling us how good or
bad a wine is? Do they really know more than the average wine drinker,
and should we let them influence us in choosing wines to buy? Can wine
competitions and tastings tell us anything about specific labels and
varieties? How should we really pick and choose?
Wine & Food Matching
Basic Wine & Food Pairing Principles
When pairing wine to food try to match similarities
of richness, texture, intensity, and flavor of the food to the wine.
Here are some tips:
Wine Drinkers Live Longer
Drinking
red wine and cooking with olive oil may help us to live longer, say
scientists. Figures from the European Union show that people living in
Mediterranean countries like Spain and Italy can expect to live
longer on average than people in other countries. Key ingredients in
both substances can significantly increase the lifespan of yeast.
Since yeast and humans share many genes, scientists have speculated
they may have the same effect in people. The findings provide more
evidence to suggest that the Mediterranean diet may be the secret to
living a long and healthy life.
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Watch this morning's
Whettin' Your Whistle
Tuesday, Feb 2nd
Tuesday, Feb 4th
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Stranahan's
Colorado Whiskey
Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey is not a Bourbon or a Scotch, it is a Straight Rocky Mountain Whiskey made from 100% malted barley and aged in heavily charred, 100% new American white oak barrels for a minimun of 2 years.
A batch consists of 12 hand selected barrels married together and cut to exactly 94 proof (47%) using Eldorado Springs bottled water and is non chill filtered.
Stranahan's was the first and is the only micro distillery in Colorado and the Rockies dedicated to making a true handcrafted, premium whiskey.
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ON SALE!!
Lolita Valentine's
Martini Glasses
Santa Barbara Ceramics does it again in a big way with this spectacular line of Valentine's martini glasses. Each glass has a drink recipe painted on the bottom!
Thess glasses have been retired, so get them while you can!
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Come in to
Sun Singer and warm up with these
Hot Cider, Hot Cocoa and Coffee drinks.
Dutch Apple Cider
Hot Apple Pie
Peppermint Patty
Vanilla Seduction
Tight Sweater
Snow Plow
the descriptions.
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Winter's Not Over
Samuel Smith's
Winter Welcome
Throughout history, beer of somewhat higher alcohol and richness has been enjoyed for the winter holidays, when old friends get together to enjoy the season.
FOUR STARS
". . . layers of fruit, malt, spice, and earth tones that marry perfectly with great balance and style. A classic that nearly begs for smoked meats and young cheddar."
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