   |  Newsletter ArchiveHeavy Metal Thunder, Rocket Mail, and That's One to Grow On *** Mark your calendars! Saturday, June 23rd from 4-6pm, we will be holding our next beer tasting with German beer expert and importer, Mark Gerlach. Stay tuned for specific selections in the next newsletter and RSVP if you know you want to make it! info@cowineco.com or (323) 478-1985 ***
Our last homepage poll asked, "When you're at a restaurant and the waiter/sommelier brings you a wine that is clearly corked or so damned awful you can hardly swallow, what do you do? Be honest." Well, we don't think everyone was honest, because while we all think of the perfect thing to say or do once we're at home in bed, most of us don't actually act on it at the time. 48% of you said you would "send the wine back immediately", 40% said, "have the waiter try it", and 3% said, "swallow it and pretend it's fine." Now don't get me wrong....you SHOULD send it back if it's corked or dead, but it's just that in our experience, most people don't. Or, could it be, that we just have the bravest, savviest customers in the world? We'll go with that. Alright, new poll.....We often go round and round here about how much is too much drinking on the average night at home. So, on an average night, how much wine do you drink? 1) 1 glass 2) 2 glasses 3) 3 glasses 4) 1 bottle 5)i'm only buzzed at communion --> place your bets here
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We can all feel the heat of summer on deck, just about to come in and wallop us as usual, and then we can all proceed to bitch (including yours truly) as if it is truly surprising that we're uncomfortably hot in July in Southern California. So what do we do? We choose our beverages carefully. Spring brought through the dry roses and the gruner veltliners, now we need that really refreshing punch that only highly acidic, bright wines can give you. Most of you know the Pomelo Sauv Blanc from Randy Mason (9.99/btl). At the first sign of real heat, people buy this stuff by the handful and put it on tap directly above their open mouths. Well, let us introduce you to a new arrival:
Gazela Vinho Verde, Portugal- $6.99/btl Yes, yet another wine that was apparently labeled at the tippy top of the Ugly Tree, and hit every single branch on the way down. Of course, we tend to get in trouble when we say things like that, but it's just true, it looks like a logo for some horrible, theme cruise or a soap that smells funny. Anyway, this wine is a "One to Grown On" wine, in other words, it's what's INSIDE that counts. Tootie knows what i'm talking about.
There are two kinds of white vinho verde, which means "green wine." One is made from this alvarinho grape varietal from the lush Douro Valley of Portugal. The other is made from a grape varietal called loureiro. The Gazela is the former type and the sheer citrusy, crisp nature of this is enough make you pucker. But in a good way. If that makes sense. Very limey, very minerally. Grill some scallops and shrimp in a little butter and tuck into this bottle for the night. Oh, happy days.
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Wine Tasting Schedule
***We hold tastings twice a week on Friday nights and Sunday afternoons , and on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays the bar is open for wines by the glass . Please see our calendar for details on any given day: www.cowineco.com/calendar ***
Wine Tasting: World Ocean Day and Rocket Mail Friday the 8th 5:30-8:30pm $15/person 5 wines and gourmet cheeses from Auntie Em's Marketplace Please RSVP to: info@cowineco.com or (323) 478-1985
There truly is a holiday for every friggin' thing out there now. It's today that we celebrate the oceans of the world by throwing them a big party from the shoreline and watching as the moon gets tanked, like it always does, and walks through the closed screen door that we replaced LAST year precisely on this day. Apparently, on this day in 1959, we also tried one of the most asinine things I have ever heard in my life. The U.S.S. Barbero in conjunction with the US Postal Service attempted to deliver mail via MISSILE. Yes, you read correctly...they jammed a bunch of mail in a missile and launched it. Here's one of those very missiles:
A missile? Really? I wonder why that never caught on.... I think I've got a new business plan for Netflix. wines Gazela Vinho Verde, Portugal La Vielle Ferme Blanc 2006, France Zaca Mesa Z Cuvee 2004, Santa Ynez, California Etim Old Vines Garnacha, Spain Terra Andina Carmenere, Chile
Lazy Sunday Tasting Sunday the 10th 1-4pm $12/person 4 wines and gourmet cheeses from Auntie Em's Marketplace Our Sunday tastings will now feature slightly higher-end wine selections. Our Friday tastings get a little too loud to discuss the wines in great detail (we're not complaining), so if wine knowledge is your grail, Sundays are the best tastings for you. Call or email Sunday for selections. (323) 478-1985 or info@cowineco.com
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Heavy Metal Thunder
After doing a brief in-store poll of happy wine drinkers about who the Saxons were in history, we only got responses about the 80's Heavy Metal band, SAXON...
So, the notes for this wine when we tasted it a few weeks ago were just, "I must have this". Our high-tech, complicated system of buying or not buying wines goes like this-- if Jen draws a smiley face and I don't, it goes to a drink off where we set it aside and try it again after it has time to breathe for awhile. If there are two smilies, it's a winner. Incredibly, we broke protocol with this one, bypassing smilies all together (God forbid), and just making a written demand on paper. So introducing, the
Saxon Brown Cricket Creek Semillon 2006, Alexander Valley, California - $19.99/btl
This vineyard was planted about 25 years ago at the north east end of the Alexander Valley. It's dry farmed and has a yield of less than two tons per acre. Sitting on a bench that was once the Russian River – the soils are somewhat gravelly and well drained, helping to concentrate the fruit. Notes from the winemaker: "For many years I have been a big fan of Semillon in this style, a wine that is lively and refreshing with good food affinity. Our 2006 Cricket Creek Semillon fits the bill and then some. In addition to vibrant white peach, citrus blossom and fig flavors, the wine offers a rich, slightly yeasty mouthfeel and a lingering creamy finish. NO OAK."
That "no oak" claim is pretty astonishing when you see what they can get out of this grape.Try it. You'll smile.
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See You Soon, John and Jen
"You're hoping to fly
~ SAXON, Heavy Metal Thunder |
