Find us on Facebook          Follow us on Twitter              February 17, 2011

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UPCOMING
EVENTS

MINI WINE TASTING
Tuesday Feb 22

Reservations Needed

Reserva
____________________
ENTERTAINMENT
THIS WEEKEND

KARENNA LEE

Friday 2/18

Kareena Lee 

 

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 2/19
7 to 10 PM
 

Lisa

  

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. 

 
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In This Issue
Upcoming Events
How to Smell Wines
VaFeatured Wines
Mini Wine Tasting
We are on Twitter
HOW TO SMELL WINES - EPISODE 2
In our premier episode last week I talked about wine aromas and scents and how to recognize them. The bottom line of the experience is that it simply consists of exercising your olfactory memory banks. Some aromas have been ingrained in your brain for years because of some particular experience. For example, cherry bazooka chewing gum was one of my favorites when I was a child - my mom didn't let me chew gum! and now in my adult life the first time I smelled a French Beaujolais wine that was the exact aroma that came to mind immediately! So, in order to exercise your brain to recognize scents you need to train your memory cells by repeatedly smelling different aromas. In today's episode I will show you how to build your own training kit. Please click on the link below:

  
  
FEATURED WINES THIS WEEKEND
Yes, I am going mad with new wines. We once used to be an "only Italian wines" restaurant but my tasting of new, non-Italian, wines has made me a believer that our wine portfolio should be expanded to include some really and truly fantastic wines.
In the past couple of weeks I have been introducing primarily
(high end) Napa Valley wines and this week I am introducing two new ones: The 2007 FAR NIENTE CABERNET SAUVIGNON ($118) and the 2008 SPECIAL SELECTION CAYMUS ($128); both from Napa Valley.

But...we are also featuring this week a couple of fantastic wines by the glass:
  
GARNACHA, MENGUANTE '04, Carinena, Spain
Bottle $36 / Glass $9

91 Points, The Wine Advocate: "The 2004 Menguante Garnacha Seleccion raises the bar a bit. It spent 8 months in a mixture of used French and American oak. Dark ruby in color, it is a bit more sophisticated...with its complex nose of vanilla, smoke, cedar, red currants and kirsch. It also offers more structure with ripe tannins nicely concealed by generous quantities of red and blue fruits. There is very good concentration and depth through to the pure finish. Give this outstanding wine several years in bottle for further evolution and drink it over the following 6-8 years. Kudos to the Pablo family!"

  
CANNONAU RISERVA, SELLA E MOSCA '06, Sardinia, Italy
Bottle $32 / Glass $8
For those of you that didn't know: Cannonau is Garnacha!

In the most outstanding vintage years, Sella & Mosca produces a Riserva version of its Cannonau, made from grapes picked in selected portions of its vineyards. Aged three years in oak prior to release, this aristocratic red will sustain a decade or more of aging. Mesmerizing, this 2006 offers scents redolent of violets. It is abundant, assertive and intense, suggesting ripe plums, very full-bodied, with sustained finish. 89 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2006 Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva is a fabulous wine for the money. It impresses for its persistence, purity of fruit and wonderful balance. Dried cherries, crushed flowers and spices linger on the ethereal finish. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2013."

NEW MINI WINE TASTING FORMAT
Come on down to Mezzanotte next Tuesday 2/22 at any time between 6:00 and 9:00 PM to try our new Mini Wine Tasting event.  We are putting together a very nice assortment of 5 wines paired with 5 small bites of food. The seating (as opposed to our regular Wine Dinner) will be in individual tables but the fun should be the same! I will be featuring brand new wines from around the world. Hope to see you then!
Cheers!
WE ARE ALSO ON TWITTER!
You may have noticed that we have also jumped into "social networking". If you are not following us on Facebook please do. In Facebook we post current information, videos, links, etc. But we are also on Twitter. On Twitter we post short notices on specials and special events. Try this out by clicking on the Twitter links on the left or at the top of this page.