|
A Great Idea |
Click Here
|
Online Shoppping
|
|
Shop for Wine
|
|
Frequently quoted wine publications |
Robert Parker
|
|
| |
Say Vino: September 16, 2008
By Barbara Rooks
 We
email Say Vino every Tuesday evening. It contains news
from the wine world, our own opinions, and special offers
for our subscribers. Say Vino is available by email, at
our
website
and is also posted in our store.
|
Terrific deals in new wine sale
We've finally gone green with our wine sales, and want to
make sure you get all the savings! No more four-color
brochures for us, the values are all on-line. It's easy and
always updated. Check the sale page, starting with our
best buys at
our website - the details about the wines are there, and
we've got new shelf tags up in the store with brief versions
of everything we could find about the current vintages on
sale. There are new wines and old favorites. Some of my
picks for this sale are as simple as ABCD:
- Andrew Rich's
Tabula Rasa - new, a Rhône style blend from Washington
state, fruity with wonderful smoky/spicy notes.
ANDREW RICH
TABULA RASA 2005, Columbia Valley WA $16.97
(regular $19.95)
- Bridgeway Syrah -
new, a lush and spicy Central Coast Syrah, full of pepper
and smoke.
BRIDGEWAY
SYRAH 2003, Central Coast $18.97
(regular $22.95)
- Can Blau - a new
vintage of this rich Spanish blend using Rhone-style grapes,
always a great match for grilled or roasted meats.
CAN BLAU 2007,
Monsant, Spain $15.97 (regular $18.95)
- DeBortoli Petit
Verdot - our best bet for burgers, juicy with a nice balance
of acidity and fruit, new vintage.
DE BORTOLI
PETIT VERDOT 2006, Australia $10.97
(regular $13.95)
|
New arrival of one sexy Pinot
 We
just tasted a wonderful new Central Coast Pinot Noir from
Hahn Family Estates' new SLH (Santa Lucia Highlands) label.
It has lovely aromas of dark cherry with just the
right amount of spice (pepper and nutmeg) and juicy dark
fruit flavors over soft tannins, an elegant example of what
a Central Coast Pinot can be in the right hands. The wine is
produced completely in the Santa Lucia Highlands-from the
ground to the barrel to the bottle-at the Hahn Winery. Hahn
Estates owns 650 vineyard acres there that range in
elevation from 200 to 1,200 feet, all situated on an
eastern-facing rise in the Santa Lucia Highlands. "The Hahn
SLH wines encompass what I believe is the 'soul' of not only
the soil and climate, but also of the Hahn team," according
to Hahn Family Wines winemaker Paul Clifton. "If it were not
for the Hahn family having the dedication and passion to
purchase and plant this land, these wines would not exist.
This is an obvious statement, but an important one. I think
they've succeeded in this gorgeous Pinot - order yours
today.
|
Oom-pah!
 The
tradition of Oktoberfest began with the very huge and very
successful wedding bash in a meadow outside Munich in 1810.
Princess Therese and the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig really
knew how to party! They were celebrating not only the joy
of their marriage. They were also thanking God for their
great fortune and the abundance of their crops, especially
we think, for those from which they made beer. Oktoberfest
traditionally starts in the third weekend in September and
ends the first Sunday of October. This year will be the
198th 'fest! Today, the Oktoberfest in Munich is the largest
festival in the world.
At Schaefer's, we love a good party! We celebrate with some
of the best Oktoberfest beer (of course) and traditional
German, specialties made for us by our friends the
Schmeissers at their terrific meat market in Niles.
Smoked Liver Sausage is homemade, creamy
and absolutely delicious. We love it on dark rye or on our
delicious Vollkornbrot (whole rye bread)
with really good mustard, sliced onion and a big juicy
Gundel Barrel Pickle. If you want to go nuts, or you have an
evening alone, you could slather on a nice gooey piece of
Limburger. If you are not a liver fan, try Schmeisser's
Homemade Summer Sausage. It has traditional
old-fashioned flavor and is terrific on a sandwich or served
with slices of Gruyere or Emmental and honey mustard.
SUMMER SAUSAGE
ALL BEEF $6.97 lb (regular $7.99)
Schmeisser's Bavarian Bratwurst are pale,
smoked sausages made of finely minced veal, pork and old
world spices. These brats are really rich and juicy. They
have long been our favorite Oktoberfest sausage. They take
just a few minutes on the grill or sauté pan to cook. We
always have some in the freezer. They thaw fast and are
ready to be made into a quick lunch on a crunchy Kaiser roll
with some coarse mustard or a hearty dinner with homemade
sauerkraut and black bread and butter.
We like to serve Gundel German dill gherkins.
They are "perfectly pickled": not exactly sour, not exactly
sweet, with a terrific "bite" and a fresh addictive flavor.
The pickles are really surprisingly different from our
American pickles...more subtle. No junk in these, just
gherkins, vinegar, sugar, salt and mustard seed. They are
all natural and absolutely delicious as a side or chopped
into potato salad, deviled eggs or like our guys like them,
sliced on a liver sausage or ham sandwich.(mary)
|
Last call for Third Thursday Wine Class
 There
are still spots available for this week's Third
Thursday Wine Class. We'll be examining some
lesser-known grapes, both white and red - I'll even be
pulling a bottle from my own cellar to add to the fun. Join
us as we experiment: Torrontes, Petit Verdot, Carmenere,
Viognier and more!
The food department will, of course, offer some appropriate
snacks - please remember, if you would prefer a vegetarian
tasting plate, let us know when you register. As always,
reservations in advance are required so call or
e-mail now because space is limited.
09/18 THU - 6:30 to 7:45 p.m., $20 for
CAP members (and you will become a
CAP member). Contact Schaefer's at 847-677-WINE (9463)
or by
email
to sign up.
|
Kosher wine tasting here Sept. 18th
Join us in the wine room for a small sampling of kosher
wines - red and white, sweet and dry - all perfect for your
holiday table, and available for purchase or to order for
delivery in time for the holiday.
09/18 THU - 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., FREE
|
|
Vineyard Math Trivia Based on 8' x 5' vine
spacing (typical for Cabernet Sauvignon), you get
- Vines per acre: 1,089
- Pounds of grapes/bottles per plant: 7.35 lbs/2.5 bottles
- Cases/bottles per acre: 240 cases/2,880 bottles
- Grapes in one bottle: 630
|
 This
Saturday in Our Tasting Room
Join us this weekend for our FREE Saturday Tasting,
11:00-5:00 - it's Oktoberfest! Beer, brats, more beer...oh
yeah, and of course some wine from the new sale too! See you
here!
|
Droplets
 Some droplets
of interesting wine news you may have missed. Just click the
links to read.
|
|
| |
See you next week!
 That's
all for this week. If we may be of any further service,
please stop by our store at 9965 Gross Point Road in Skokie
(for directions,
click here),
visit our website at
http://www.schaefers.com, give us a call
at 847-677-WINE (9463), 800-833-WINE (9463), or click here
to
contact us.
Sincerely,
Your Friends at Schaefer's
|
|
|
