Mo's Wine & Spirits

Every year they get published. We look and see what we have drank among the winners. Then we look to see what we have missed. You know, the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list, with the coveted wine of the year in first place. That’s a lot of pressure for wine around the holiday time if you ask me.( Perhaps the list has some affiliation with the holiday gift giving.) 

I could start my own list next year. The Winebrat’s Greatest Sips of 2008. I will review everything I drink all year long. I will easily have a hundred or more wines by year’s end. :) I will pick a top ten list and why I chose the wines. If they are rated, even better. Then I will pick a wine of the year! Let’s see how my plan pans out. Top 100, Move over!    

Cheers, Sharon

The annual Wine Spectator’s Top 100 wines of the year was just unveiled. Most of us in the retail business can say that the Wine Spectator has done good things for the wine business over the years. We might not always agree with them, but they still have a very powerful position in the way wine is made, sold and marketed. With that being said the Top 100 issue is always a big headache for the retailers. A majority of the wines on the list have been released and sold out a long time ago. Of course you have to recall all the wines from the past year to make such a list. Some of the wines are very limited (#2 Ridge Santa Cruz Mts Chardonnay, 2,000 cases produced) and a small few are on a large scale (#71 Columbia Grand Estates Merlot, 140,000 cases produced). The amazing thing about the “list” to me has always been the power it has. We will sell more wines from the “list” once the issue is released then we did all year combined. Customers will purchase case upon case, without even trying the wine, just on the fact that it made the “list”.What is my point of all this?  I am asking anyone who reads this and enjoys wine to make up his or her own minds. Try a bottle first and you be the judge! Cheers Mark

Entertaining with wine doesn’t have to be intimidating. Whether you’re searching for advice on a theme or basic how-to’s, a number of on-line resources provide the tips you need for a successful wine party.

Like the Wine Weekly blog which bills itself as “for the Non-Snob.” There, Vino Joe discusses the importance of having a theme. He suggests choosing a particular country or region to organize your event around.

When choosing your theme, consider using vertical or horizontal tasting. According to Greg Meserole of DamnGoodWine.com, vertical tasting features wines from several different vintages that were produced by one winery. “A nice example of this,” he says, “would be tasting Cabernet Sauvignon from Joseph Phelps Winery spanning the “90,” “91,” “92” and “93” vintages. This would let the tasters see how each vintage compared to the next.” Horizontal tasting, by comparison, features wines from the same vintage or year, but produced by different wineries.

Who springs for the wine? Vino Joe says “there are two ways you can do a wine tasting; either YOU can buy all the wine, or all of your guests bring a bottle or two each.” If you chose the latter, follow Meserole’s advice and “fill [guests] in on the price range you have chosen.”

With the question of wines covered, what food do you serve? Matthew Amster-Burton, writing for MSN Lifestyle, suggests avoiding foods that “require last-minute fussing … This is a good time to pull out the stereotypical matches,” he states. Pairings like “oysters and Muscadet, pinot noir and salmon, port and chocolate.” His last word?  “Avoid classic wine enemies like artichokes and pickles.”

Mark Vogel, a columnist at the Food Reference web site, says, “There’s a plaque in my kitchen that reads: ‘I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.’”  Kidding aside, however, why would anyone want to cook with wine? After all, doesn’t the alcohol burn off?

The experts at the Food Network addressed that very question recently in a Culinary Q&A. Contrary to popular belief, all the alcohol does not burn off. “Anywhere from 5 to 40 percent of the alcohol can remain in the food,” they say. But that’s not the primary benefit of cooking with wine. Taste is. “You want wine, which produces different nuances in taste,” they continue. Examples are Zinfandels which impart a “raisin-like quality” and lighter whites with apple and citrus flavors.

Which brings us to wine selection. Vogel takes pains to stress a point that all the pros agree on, “NEVER, under any circumstances, not even at gunpoint, use cooking wine.” Instead, cook with a wine you would be happy drinking. “If a recipe calls for dry white wine without mentioning the type of wine, use any good dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc, if you are a complete beginner,” suggest the culinary experts at OChef.

For other tips on selecting and cooking with wine, visit the Wine page at the Hormel Foods web site. There you’ll find details on preferred cooking times, alcohol evaporation and more.

Every holiday Mo’s staff selects several wines that will go well with holiday meals. Thanksgiving tends to be the easiest because most of us enjoy a plump turkey for Thanksgiving. Turkey, in my opinion is a very easy meal to pair wines with. Red, white or rose, they all seem to work well. We tend to stay away from your typical wines such as, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon and branch out a bit.

Bold and fruity for the reds and for the whites we get a bit more adventurous. Gruner Veltliner, Viognier, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer always make our list of favorite turkey wines. Whatever you do for your holiday wine, just try something different.

Here is some of Mo’s Wine & Spirits holiday selections.
Yalumba Y Series Viognier $10.99
Hiedler Gruner Veltliner $15.99
Handley Gewurztraminer $18.99
Belle Pente Pinot Gris $19.99
Castillo de Papa Godello $$11.99
Spellbound Zinfandel $14.99
Valdicava Rosso di Montalcino $32.99
Michael Pozzan Pinot Noir Blockhouse Vineyard $18.99
Concannon Petite Syrah $11.99

Enjoy your holiday
The staff at Mo’s

I have never been much of a booze drinker, especially the real hard stuff. Cognac has always mystified me. This beverage can come only from the town of Cognac, France and all other “Cognacs” are called brandy. It is made with distilled grapes and must comprise of at least 90% Ungi Blanc, Folle Blanche, or Colombard. All Cognacs must be aged in barrels for at least two years, these are called VS (very special). VSOP (very superior old pale)Cognac must be aged for at least four years and XO (extra old) must be at least six years.

Now that we all understand Cognac and you might have even tried some in the past. Put away any thoughts you may have, good or bad. After tasting through the line of Cognacs from Tesseron my impression of Cognac has change forever.

They make several different Cognacs. They use different lot numbers and each number represents the vintage in which the majority of the Cognac was distilled. For example Lot 29, the majority of the Cognac came from 1929 and a few years younger and older to round it out. Quite an interesting concept. All of their Cognacs were different, but all have a silky, smooth texture with aromatics that were very intense.

Of the 5 Tesseron Cognacs Mo’s Wine & Spirits carries we all preferred the Lot 65 the most. It was all power and finesse with aromas of orange peel, toasted caramel. On the palate the texture is lush and thick with flavors of cocoa, coffee, and roasted nuts. All in all, an a amazing beverage.

A full-bodied, fun blend with complex aromas and a lingering finish. It’s not a wine we’re describing, but the spirit of the nation’s autumn’s wine fests! Wherever you live in the U.S., you’re probably within driving distance of a fall wine celebration. These events present great opportunities to tour a vineyard or just soak up the festive atmosphere and beautiful autumn scenery!

Many, like the Wicomico County Autumn Wine Festival in Maryland, are sponsored jointly by area wineries and feature several days of music at a single location. Others, including the wine producers at Washington’s Lake Chelan Wine Valley, spread events out over a week or more with events at member winery locations.

Virginia’s foliage is often at peak fall color this time of year, making events at any of the state’s vineyards “must-see.” The same can be said for festivals in Tennessee where the wineries may be smaller but the good times loom just as large!

Festivals also abound in California’s wine country where the fare is typically wine tasting and tours, but may include culinary adventures or more unexpected activities such as a cruise!

So, celebrate wine this fall and harvest a whole lot of fun!

Everyday a new one comes in. This time of year, in my opinion, the best beers are made. Many will say the summer is beer time, but for me its the winter. When else can you enjoy a Anchor Steam Christmas Ale or a Ridgeway Santa’s Butt. They range in flavors from Avery’s Old Jubilation Ale to Youngs Winter Warmer. Both just scream for some fresh snow and a roaring fire.

My all time favorite is the Bush’s Scaldas Noel. This ale weighs in at 12% abv but is in no way cloying or sappy like some others with this potency. Its nutty, sweet malty aromas followed by a smooth dry finish make very easy drinking before or after a dinner.

Here is a list of my other favorites:
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale $8.49 6pk
Rogue Santa’s Reserve $10.99 6pk
Shipyard Longfellow $8.49 6pk
Ridgeway Seriouly Bad Elf $4.99 17oz
Sam Smith Winter Wecome $10.99 4pk

Just got back from a tasting of Ken Wright Cellars Pinot Noirs at one of my distributors. All were from the 2006 vintage, a vintage that had some record breaking heat and made wines more in style with California. The wines were all from all single vineyards, Carter, Savoya, Abbott Claim, Canary Hill, and McCrone.

My favorite was Carter Vineyard. The nose was quite closed. Maybe just because of its youthfulness or the lack of time to breathe. It was loaded with gobs of bright cherry and raspberry flavors. A silky texture with long firm finish. Just real good Pinot!

Mo’s will hopefully carry all of these Pinot’s, production is extremely limited and supply even less so.

Cheers Mark

It’s harvest festival time in California, making this a great time to celebrate the great state’s contribution to wine-making. Celebrating Wine!

A full-bodied, fun blend with complex aromas and a lingering finish. It’s not a wine we’re describing, but the spirit of the nation’s autumn’s wine fests! Wherever you live in the U.S., you’re probably within driving distance of a fall wine celebration. These events present great opportunities to tour a vineyard or just soak up the festive atmosphere and beautiful autumn scenery!

Many, like the Wicomico County Autumn Wine Festival in Maryland, are sponsored jointly by area wineries and feature several days of music at a single location. Others, including the wine producers at Washington’s Lake Chelan Wine Valley, spread events out over a week or more with events at member winery locations.

Virginia’s foliage is often at peak fall color this time of year, making events at any of the state’s vineyards “must-see.” The same can be said for festivals in Tennessee where the wineries may be smaller but the good times loom just as large!

Festivals also abound in California’s wine country where the fare is typically wine tasting and tours, but may include culinary adventures or more unexpected activities such as a cruise!

So, celebrate wine this fall and harvest a whole lot of fun!