. Wed. & Thu. 11.30 AM to 7 PM Sat. 9 AM to 3 PM. Enjoy Your Beer:Your selection can be from over 70 types of Beer: Wine:Your selection from over 30 types of Red or White; Ciders, Wine Coolers, and other Sparkling beverages & Fruit wines. A brewing experience awaits you in South Surrey. Centrally located in the quaint domains of the Semiahmoo Peninsula on King George Highway, next door to White Rock, BC. Only 10 min from the US border ; truck crossing on 176th street or Douglas Crossing on …

A very appropriate video to post during this festive period. How Champagne is produced from the Chardonnay, Pinot noir and Pinot Meunier varieties of grapes using an age old method. … How its made champagne sparkling white wine bubbles using red grapes Chardonnay Pinot Pinot-Meunier France

gettingyourmoneysworthnyc.com GettingYourMoneysWorthNYC.com – Judith West. Holiday invitations make you ask: What can I bring? WALL STREET JOURNAL wine gurus suggest proseco from Italy. It’s a gentle, sparkling, all-purpose white wine, good with appetizers or dinner. Easy on the pocketbook. Under twenty bucks. Another value is Malbec from Argentina. Spicey red wine everybody loves, available for fifteen to twenty bucks, a winner for Getting Your Money’s Worth. More value, go for a 2005 …

This week we have a special celebration episode. The three wines we suggest would all be perfect for marking an important occasion. There’s a sparkling white that might be the best non-French bottle out there, a Coonawarra red recently nominated as Australia’s best drop and a Rutherglen fortified sure to be great drinking on someone’s 21st… even if they have just been born!

Thurs, Arpil 17th join us for a private Expat Connection Wine Tasting with 0800 Vinos, @ 7:30pm in Abasto at Anchorena 695. Join us, Nigel Tollerman (founder and owner of 0800-VINO) and Expat Connection would invite you to an intimate tasting in Nigel’s spectacular wine cellar located in Abasto (Anchorena 695). picasaweb.google.com The format is informal with sommelier Nigel introducing the wines, generally chatting and answering questions. We’ll open some interesting sparkling, white and …

are in the mood for fine German wine and food, you should consider the Franconia region of southeastern Germany. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you’ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a local Silvaner white wine. I’ll let you in on a secret. A year and a half ago I reviewed a previous vintage of this wine. I liked it so much that I wanted to review it again. The rest of the article hasn’t changed much but the review was completely rewritten from scratch. Let’s see what a difference two years makes.

Franconia is bordered on the north by the Main River and by the Danube on the south. It is named for a Germanic tribe known as the Franks, who also gave their name to France. After centuries of independence, the Congress of Vienna in 1814-1815 made Franconia part of Bavaria in southern Germany.

Of the thirteen German wine regions, Franconia ranks number six in both acreage and total wine production. Unlike many other German wine regions, here the Riesling grape is not a major player. More than 85% of Franconian wine is white. The main grape varieties are Mueller-Thurgau, a German hybrid, that makes up almost half the local production of white wine and Silvaner, a grape also grown elsewhere in Germany, and in Austria, Switzerland, and Alsace, France. Many experts feel that the best Silvaner wines are grown in Franconia. About 40% of the region’s wine is middle-quality QbA wine, and almost 60% is the higher quality QmP wine. Only about 0.5% of Franconian wine is table wine.

Do you like seeing the past? The Middle Ages trade route known as the Romantic Road with its castles and medieval churches, towns, and villages passes through Franconia. The city of Wuerzburg forms the northernmost point of the Romantic Road. It is a medieval town jam packed with sites dating back several hundred years. For example, make sure to see the Alte Mainbruecke (Old Main Bridge), the Dom St. Kilian a Romanesque cathedral, Festung Marienberg (Marienberg Fortress) with the Marienkirche (Church of the Virgin Mary, this one dates back to approximately the year 700), the Mainfraenkisches Museum (Main-Franconian Museum), and the Residenz where the local prince-bishops lived. You may also want to see the Buergerspital (Almshouse) associated with the wine that we review below.

Before reviewing the Franconian wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start off with a Frankische Bratwurst (Franconian Roasted Sausage). For your second course enjoy Schuefela (Pork Shoulder with Potato Dumpling). As a dessert indulge yourself with ApfelStruedel (Apple Strudel).

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Buergerspital Wuerzburg Silvaner Kabinett Trocken 2004 10.6% alcohol about $16.50

We’ll start by quoting the marketing materials. The Franken region wines are unique for two reasons. First, their principal grape is Silvaner; and second, they use an unusual bottle known as the bocksbeutel (similar in shape to the Mateus Rose vessel). In Franken, Silvaner achieves its finest expression. The aromas are full of floral, pear, apple, and mineral notes. Medium to full-bodied, its racy acidity gives it tremendous verve. Pair with freshwater fish. And now for my review. (By the way, I did this review without noting my comments in the previous review.)

I started by sipping this wine. It was somewhat ethereal, mineral, and refreshingly acidic. The first meal involved fried chicken breast (hot off the skillet) and delicatessen bought potato pancakes. This wine was palate cleansing and appely. Some slices of fresh red pepper seemed to denature the wine while giving it a touch of lemon.

Then I went to a chicken thigh casserole cooked with sliced potatoes, sweet potatoes, and onions in a spicy tomato sauce. The acidity cut the grease and the wine was appley and moderately long.

I then went to an Italian sausage pizza (not home made). The Silvaner was refreshing and nicely acidic. It balanced the spices well. As I kept drinking an apple taste developed. A week later I bought a Pepperoni pizza. The wine seemed more powerful than previously. It was palate cleansing, really cutting the grease.

And now for the cheeses. First I tried a genuine Italian Mozzarella de Bufala (water buffalo Mozzarella). While this wine was round and acidic, the cheese was able to chop it down somewhat. I guess you just don’t mess with water buffalo. The final cheese was a French Morbier made in two layers, once upon a time a morning milk layer and an evening milk layer. Frankly, I’m not enough of a cheese lover to tell the difference. Anyway this cheese was really starting to smell. It was able to gut the wine, however, it wasn’t bad on its own.

Final verdict. I bought this wine twice and have yet to go a second round with many other wines that I liked as well. Part of the reason that I repeated this tasting was my surprise that a Silvaner could be so good. I am not planning to go a third round but am planning to taste another Silvaner, albeit in a more modest price range.

the terrible Artic temperatures in our part of the world, I figured why not review a well-known rose wine from the Rhone Valley region of southeastern France. This beautiful area ranks second in acreage of France’s eleven wine-growing regions. The region runs some 200 kilometers (125) miles along the Rhone River. The northern part is really narrow. Its major white variety is Viognier and major red grape variety is Syrah. This area produces some of the best red wines in all France, and if you ask partisans some of the world’s best red wines. But the north produces only about 5% of the total Rhone Valley production. Wine in the southern Rhone Valley tends to be blended. For example, the wine reviewed below comes from three different grapes.

Tavel is a village of about 1500 people located near some great vineyards, not far from the cities of Avignon and Nimes, and an hour’s drive from the Mediterranean. But you don’t have to leave the village for interesting sights. Sights in the old town center include a Tenth Century Chapel (Saint-Ferreol), the village church and fountain, and the Chemin de la Condamine. There’s a vineyard route and you’re not far from the largest sundial in Europe. Just a bit of wine trivia; Tavel is the one French wine appellation that’s allowed to make only rose wine.

Before reviewing the Cotes du Rhone rose wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Soupe aux Truffes Noires (Black Truffle Soup). For your second course savor Foie de Veau a la Lyonnaise (Veal Liver and Onions). And as dessert indulge yourself with Tarte aux Pralines (Praline Tart).

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Perrin & Fils Tavel Rose 2006 14% about $16.50

Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. Tavel produces some of the richest, yet driest roses on the market. They work beautifully as a sipper and are quite adaptable to a variety of foods such as grilled chicken, sea-food salads, bouillabaisse or pork tenderloin. The Perrin 2006 vintage is a blend of 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre, and 10% Cinsault. And now for our review.

My first meal was centered on a middle-eastern dish known as kube, slow cooked ground meat placed in crushed bulgar jackets. This is rose. It was a great blend of acidity with a touch of sweetness. The wine lingered. It sort of bounced off the peppery sauce. When sipped on its own the Tavel was feathery. I felt it was something of an introduction to ambrosia.

My next meal involved a slow-cooked chicken leg with the skin on with a sauce made from soy sauce, garlic, cumin, and onion. The chicken was accompanied by potato patties. The wine was fruity with good acidity. It was light and yet oh so present. For dessert I had a French chocolate pie with a great flaky (lots of butter) crust. The rose managed to hold its own against the somewhat excessive sugar.

The final meal was an omelet perked up by anchovies and capers. The wine was long and fruity, undisturbed by the excessive salt. It became subtler when facing a fresh, acidic tomato.

The first cheese was an Emmenthaler (Swiss). The wine remained round and forceful, but something was lost. The second cheese was a rather gamy goat’s milk cheese from Poitou in central-western France. The cheese cut the wine.

Final verdict. Tavel is known as a fine rose wine. I was not the least bit disappointed. I’ll be pleased to buy it again. But if I’m not doing a review, I won’t bother trying it with any old available cheese.

Tresor Rose Brut fine french wine, best sparkling french wine at great prices on winedirect UK winedirect.co.uk Sparkling Wine, Bouvet-Ladubay, Tresor Rose Brut, Cabernet Franc, France, Loire, Sparkling Wine … bouvet-ladubay tresor rose brut vintage loire cuvee chardonnay winedirect wine tasting red white sparkling

AND MUSCAT RAISINS Italian-Inspired Makes 4 servings 1/4 pound pancetta, thinly sliced 1/3 teaspoon red pepper flakes 2 1/2 pounds chicken wings 1 yellow onion, sliced 6 cloves garlic, chopped 2 tablespoons dried marjoram 6 yellow bell peppers, peeled, cored, seeded, deveined, and cut into thick strips 8 plum tomatoes, blanched, peeled and roughly chopped 2 cups Italian sparkling white wine 1/3 cup capers 1/2 cup Muscat or golden raisins 1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 300 …

are in the market for fine French wine and food, why don’t you consider the up and coming wine region of southwestern France? You may even find a bargain. I hope that you’ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a local red wine based on the indigenous Negrette and the international Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah grapes.

Among France’s eleven wine-growing regions the South-west ranks sixth in acreage. Surprisingly enough this is the first wine that we have reviewed from this region. The most famous alcoholic beverage produced in this beautiful region is Armagnac that many prefer to Cognac. Parts of this region neighbor Bordeaux so don’t be surprised that some of the local wines are quite good, and yet more moderately priced than many of its world-famous neighbor’s offerings.

If you are visiting southwestern France, and you really should, make sure to stop by the village of Bergerac that was not the home of the famous Cyrano de Bergerac who actually lived in Paris in the first half of the Seventeenth Century. The town is beautiful. Market days are Wednesday and Saturday. You can take a guided walking tour of the old city and cruise the Dordogne River from Easter to October. The Cloitre des Recollets was a convent and now hosts a wine business. Go a few miles south to the Chateau de Monbazillac. Their sweet wine is famous but fairly expensive.

Before reviewing the southwestern wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are some suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Foie Gras Frais avec Myrtille (Fresh Duck Liver in a Berry Sauce). For your second course savor Piperade Basquaise au Jambon (Eggs, Tomatos, Green Peppers, Onions, and Ham). And for dessert indulge yourself with Gateau Basque (Lemon Shortbread, Baker’s Cream, and Tart Cherry Jam.)

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed La Foret Royale 2004 13% about $13.50 (Appelation Fronton Controle)

Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. La Foret is a blend of the indigenous Negrette (45%), Cabernet Sauvignon (30%), and Syrah (25%). The wine goes through fruit-enhancing and tannin-mellowing micro-oxygenation and acid-softening malolactic fermentation. The resulting wine is full of flavors and aromas, including raspberry, blackberry, cassis, dark chocolate, licorice, and a hint of tar. Serve it with grilled steaks, backribs, or gourmet sausages. And now for the review.

My first meal consisted of commercially prepared beef spare ribs, spicy Moroccan carrots, and potatoes roasted in chicken fat. The meat was seasoned with Tunisian Harissa, a very spicy hot-pepper sauce. This was a great combination. The tannins melted in my mouth. I tasted black cherries, chocolate, and a lot of tobacco. The wine was robust and mouth filling. It held up both to the fat and the strong spices.

The next meal included meatballs with harissa, rice, and green beans. This wine was round and moderately long. The chocolate and tobacco tastes were fairly powerful.

The final meal was a commercially prepared barbecued chicken with a paprika-covered shin and store bought potato salad. The wine was a good antidote to the fat. Once again the chocolate taste was predominant.

The first cheese pairing was with an Emmenthaler (Swiss Cheese). The wine handled the pairing nicely. It was quite round and strong. On the other hand I barely tasted the cheese. And a goat’s milk cheese really denatured this wine.

Final verdict. This wine is a winner. I expect to come back to southwestern France for more wines.