syrah

This holiday season I have opted to repeat my blog from last year because the films obviously remain classics and the pairings still apply.

It is the busy season at Premier, so I am just doing one large blog for the Holidays. I have listed 10 of my favorite Christmas movies with one bonus film many of you probably have never seen or heard of, but should take a look at. For each movie I have suggested a wine or spirit to go along with your viewing pleasure.

1. A Christmas Carol (1951): My favorite all-time Christmas movie with the incomparable Alistair Sim. It’s full of dark, brooding, Victorian London along with cheery snowy street scenes and lovely carols. A figgy and nutty Tawny Port like Niepoort Ten Year is just the thing to sip along with a slice of Christmas cake or pudding as you view this ideal Christmas movie.

2. A Christmas Carol (1984): My second favorite version of Dickens’ classic with wonderful set

Some may think it is stereotypical to pick a Rose for a blog entry for Mother’s Day.  I beg to differ. The Roses that I’m writing about may be a variation of a shade of pink, but that does not mean these wines are syrupy and one dimensional. Guys, if you are listening. Not all women like Pink Moscato or White Zinfandel anymore than all men like Budweiser or Jack Daniels. These Roses are dry (often like Moms’sense of humor) but refreshing and full of flavor.

Our May Double Up for a Buck event just began and we have two new Roses on the sale

Several years ago my wife and I visited Northern California where we spent time in San Francisco and points north. Most of our trip was spent in Mendocino County which I found to be geographically diverse and beautiful. There was coastline, hills, redwood forest, farms, scenic fishing villages, costal hamlets and several vineyards.

Some years it helps to offer a selection of wines to write about for Easter because of the variety and complexity of the foods offered during this holiday weekend.

This year I’ve decided to focus on only one wine and one main course for Easter dinner.  It’s no secret that I love bold red wines from the France, particularly from the Southern regions. Such a wine is Chateau de La Clapiere 2011 Provence Rouge Violette.  This delicious yet reasonably priced red blend is comprised of 50% Syrah, 35% Grenache and 15% Carignan.  Malolactic fermentation and aging for 12 months in concrete tanks helps to give this wine a distinct long lasting richness and smooth tannins. The color is a deep ruby and there is a strong aroma of cherry and red raspberry preserves with highlights of honey, licorice and other spices. The Provence Rouge is full bodied, round and delightfully rich tasting.

The wine is named after producer M.Henri Fabre’s great-grandmother

Ponder this: Only in America could you munch on Ethiopian spiced chicken wings from a Ethiopian restaurant that is run by a couple from the small village of East Aurora , while drinking a Shiraz-Viognier from Australia with a French producer and Napa, California winemaker.

Starting on October 1^st we will be having our Fall Double Up for a Buck sale.  Several of your old favorites will be on the sale as well as some new comers, including some lovely wines from France.

Sunday is Father’s Day and with it usually comes warm weather resulting in several cookouts and picnics.  A considerable amount of beer and cheap wine will be consumed along with several burgers, hot dogs, sausages, chickens and ribs.  That’s okay, but why not have a better quality wine for dear old Dad? How about something delicious, versatile and memorable as well?

The Bodega Calle- Reserva Syrah 2013 is a perfect choice for this weekend.  Fermented in concrete tanks and aged for12 months in oak, this organic Syrah is bright purple with enticing aromas of blackberries, tart cherries, smoky bacon and vanilla. On the palate dark fruit continues along with a distinct dark, bitter chocolate and anise spice. The finish is round and full. Although it may be technically a “New World” style, this is definitely more like a Rhone style Syrah than a jammy Australian Shiraz. This wine will pair nicely with nearly anything you put on the grill. 

From MAN vineyards the folks that brought us a solid selection of well made and easy to drink value wines, comes Tormentoso Mourvedre Paarl 2012.  Produced in the Western Cape of South Africa, this wine gets its name from old, tormented vines but also from the original Portuguese name for The Cape of Good Hope (Cabo di Tormentoso) which originally was called Cape of Storms for obvious reasons.  The Portuguese realized early on that this was bad press so they renamed it to make it sound more attractive.

This past Monday, I sat on the screened in porch for the first time in several months – like 7 or so, and felt alive and nostalgic at the same time.  The breeze was very strong but warm and pleasant, nothing like the bitter winds we‘d been experiencing for so long.  I finally felt it. What I had been waiting for.  It’s porch sitting time again.  And what comes with porch sitting is porch sipping.

This Saturday is Valentine’s Day which in my opinion is the lamest of holidays unless you consider “Sweetest Day” which I’m sure very few people consider… anything.  Before you stop reading and start firing off angry messages, I implore you to keep reading.  I am not a cold, un-romantic guy. Honest!  Ask my wife. By the way, she hates this Hallmark inspired Holiday as well.  If you truly love someone, then everyday is Valentine’s Day.  Not this disaster prompted by fear, desperation or indifference.  Bad chocolate, cliché roses or even worse, cheap and lousy wine has nothing to do with love or romance.