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SHERRY WINES DINNER AT CAPRICCIO
Tuesday November 24 at 7 PM. $50/person.
You will learn about Sherry wines and will try quite a few of them.
Reservations required - limited seating
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END OF YEAR WINE DINNER AT MEZZANOTTE
Tuesday December 8 at 7:00 PM
This will be a very special Wine Dinner - details are coming.
Reservations required - limited seating
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Friday 11/20
7 to 10 PM
Karenna moves easily between jazz, blues, caberet and pop. Her versatile style and extensive repertoire includes romantic ballads to latin favorites and broadway tunes. Her very entertaining and dynamic style are a welcome treat to a relaxing dinner on a Friday night. She is a must see!! LISA WHITLEY
Saturday 11/21
7 to 10 PM
Lisa is the 2004 winner of KPRC TV's Houston's Gimme the Mike. Lisa was selected out of 1600 contestants. Scoring a perfect 40 with a soul grabbing delivery of "Over the Rainbow", Lisa won the competition. She has also performed live on the Jerry Lewis Telethon and sang the national anthem for the televised game of the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. _________________ AT CAPRICCIO
Friday 11/20
7 to 10 PM
Evoking the influence of legendary guitarist Carlos Santana and popular folk
players, Guillermo produces the electrifying rhythms of salsa, Latin jazz, and bolero, representing his Latin American roots and pumping vigorous life into his virtuoso classical-guitar performances. |
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CAPRICCIO TAPAS
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MEZZANOTTE RISTORANTE
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SHERRY WINE DINNER NEXT TUESDAY
Next Tuesday November 14 at 7:00 PM we will be having our monthly wine event at Capriccio. For this I thought of focusing on Spanish Sherry wines.
Sherry is the poster child for misunderstood wine. Most people think it's sweet, thick, and sugary, that it's in Grandma's cabinet and she breaks it out once a year. Or, as I remember from my childhood, is that ever present bottle of Dry Sack that my father used to cherish (I could never understand why he liked it so much - I was probably 8 years old when I tried it and, like beer or scotch, it was not a pleasant experience at the time).
In fact, Sherry can be bone-dry, and you can drink it throughout a meal. In the US such widespread misconceptions about Spain's fortified wine scare off many restaurants, even Spanish ones.
In Spain they often match tapas with Sherries. With clams and shrimp, you might have cold dry Manzanilla, since it has a briny side and is almost a little salty. Sherry is uniquely Spanish. You can't find the same climate and soil outside of Spain.
But what is it that sets Sherry apart from other wines? Sherry, also known officially as Jerez and Xérès, is a meticulously crafted fortified wine that runs the gamut from sharp and dry to sweet and viscous. Made from Palomino, Pedro Ximénez, and Moscatel (Muscat) grapes, it's produced exclusively in the region of Andalucia.
Well... I was starting to get carried away and was about to start writing a lot more about Sherry wines. Their history, vinification method, aging method, etc., is so unique to Sherry, and so fascinating, that it will take more than reading about them. You have to try them! To this end I hope you come and try something new and exciting. Please make reservations as we have limited seatings for this event.
Cheers!
Gerry
PS: I will be talking from a very complete slide show put together by the Wines of Andalucia office. It will make you an expert on Sherry wines. |
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HOW ABOUT SUNDAY BRUNCH AT CAPRICCIO? Last week I asked you the favor of letting me know how did you feel about us offering Sunday service. Many of you answered the poll and the results were overwhelmingly in favor of opening Sunday (90%) versus not doing it (10%).
Thank you very much to all of you that took the time to answer the poll. Now we need to decide what to do and when. Will keep you posted. |
AND... HOW ABOUT HAPPY HOUR??
This is a another new thing we are trying at Capriccio. I have several ideas but will start with something simple soon. I am planning to launch our new Happy Hour in a week or two. Stay tuned - I will keep you updated. |
FEATURED WINES OF THE WEEK
FEATURE WINES AT MEZZANOTTE
OK... the holiday season is here (not officially but very much unofficially). So what a better time than this to really relax and reflect on all of our accomplishments and good times of the year past? And what better than a nice glass of Prosecco to do that? In Italy people actually drink prosecco quite often before dinner as an aperitif. On our last night in Italy this is exactly what we did. Here is my lovely wife Adriana sipping a nice bubbly prosecco at Cafe La Dolce Vita in Rome:
So this week I decided to find a nice Prosecco and put it on our Featured Wines of the Week List.
Prosecco is similar to Champagne but made from the Prosecco grape (rather than Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay). Also, the second fermentation is done in pressure tanks (Charmat Method) rather than "in the bottle" fermentation of Champagne (Method Champenoise). The end result is an amazingly crisp and fruit forward bubbly.
Prosecco - Villa Erica (Veneto, Italy) - Bottle 28 / Glass 6
Pale straw-yellow in color. Exquisite subtle pear, citrus, white-fleshed fruit
and white-petaled flowers. Marvelously fruity, pleasantly amiable
and superbly fresh on the palate, with a perfectly-balanced texture
which combines gentle acidity and a lively, creamy fizziness.
Extremely versatile, all-course wine, perfect in any convivial situation. Superb as aperitif, whenever raising glasses for a toast. Great with shellfish dishes. Well worth trying with crème brulee or cheesecake.
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Cabernet Sauvignon - Novella (Paso Robles, California)
Bottle 28 / Glass 7
Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with 16% Cabernet Franc and a bit of Merlot. This wine opens with aromas of plumb, raspberry, and molasses as well as slight hints of black pepper. A rich entrance onto the palate of dark chocolate, plumb, and molasses give way to silky black cherries and raspberries leading to a medium length finish that lightly lingers with smoky oak. Pairs very well with red sauces and grilled meats.
FEATURE WINES AT CAPRICCIO
I was looking for a nice Cava (also similar to champagne but made from Spanish grapes) this week but couldn't find one. I promise a nice Cava really soon.
Our featured wines of the week, hoever, are great values. Please enjoy them:
Este - Bodegas Alto Almanzora (Spain)
Bottle 28 / Glass 7
Fantastic blend of Monastrell, Tempranillo, Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot. This wine has a dark ruby color with a delightful nose of black cherry, plums and spice. It delivers a broad mouthful of fruit with cherry and cassis along with some espresso and black pepper. This is a medium bodied wine with fine grained tannins and a mineral accent on the finish. Great with grilled meats, poultry, sausages, cheese, etc. Fantastic value.
Monastrell - Bodegas Castano (Yecla, Spain)
Bottle 28 / Glass 7
In France this grape is called Mourvedre and is used to make the world famous Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Excellent example of the Monastrell grape in its early years. Intense aromas of black fruit (plums) and less ripe red fruit (cranberries, mulberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants). On the palate it is fruity and fresh, and alive with tannins which leave a pleasant aftertaste.
This is an insane value produced from three vineyard sites ranging in age from 40-60 years. Match it with beef or lamb. |
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