Spring is in the air despite these chilly days. Next Monday marks the first day of Spring, so shovel your patio and get ready for Rosé season! We are conjuring sunshine by bringing in loads of refreshing new wines for the oncoming season. We've entered March Madness as well and have consequently filled the shop with all the coolest game-day-brews.
Tomorrow, March 17th we will collectively celebrate the life of Saint Patrick, the foremost patron saint of Ireland, by wearing shamrock green and drinking something celebratory. Whether you're a beer drinker, spirits connoisseur, or sticking to wine — we have something delicious for you, no luck required!
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Irish Food & Wine Pairings |
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Colcannon
This delicious mashed potato dish incorporates cabbage or kale, and also uses sour cream or creamed cheese in place of traditional milk or cream. The results are a delicious, tangy, and vegetal comfort food. Crisp, vegetal wines pair seamlessly with Colcannon. We love the Weingut Lagler Gruner Veltliner, which pairs perfectly with bitter vegetables such as kale. The Frog's Leap Sauvignon Blanc has a zesty acidity with subtle green vegetal notes that will fit seamlessly with this dish.
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Corned Beef
Corned beef is lower in fat content [not requiring massive tannins from a wine] and also quite salty and briny [calling for some elevated acidity]. Typically served with vegetables, we enjoy this dish paired alongside a wine with some greenness, such as Cabernet Franc or even a restrained Carménère. We love the Domaine De La Chanteleuserie Bourgueil, a Loire Valley Cabernet Franc with fresh acidity, round mouthfeel, and supple fruitiness. Clos de Lus 'Arao' is a Carménère blend made from the oldest vineyards in Chile. The vines are historic, and established from massal selections — an ancient and rigorous method in which the best vines are selected and propagated through cuttings, NOT grafted or cloned.
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Beef Stew
Beef Stew and Irish Soda Bread is a rich and hearty meal that calls for a full bodied wine with some structure. You can reach for Cabernet, but Merlot has a plush, velvety mouth-feel that's undeniably perfect with Beef Stew. Right Bank Bordeaux's would work but if you want to go BIG on the body, try something outside the grape's birthplace. The Robert Sinskey Merlot is a stunning example from Napa Valley. Il Fauno Di Arcanum Toscana is a "Super Tuscan" made of Bordeaux Varietals, primarily Merlot.
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The history of beer in Ireland dates back thousands of years to the Bronze Age, with the advent of a drink called "beoir" — better known as Gruit. Gruit is a beer brewed using barely, bog myrtle, and meadowsweet. The "Dry Irish Stout" was created in the 20th century, becoming the principle beer of the Irish people. This style is dark in color yet remarkably light in weight. We have Dry Irish Stouts, as well as less traditional domestic beers that pay homage to Ireland, to drink in celebration this Friday!
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With over 40 Irish spirit selections, we have everything you need to get the Saint Patrick's Day party started! Irish whiskey was one of the earliest spirits of Europe, first produced sometime around the 12th century. Legend has it, Irish monks brought the technique of distilling perfumes back to Ireland from their travels to southern Europe around 1000AD. The Irish then modified this technique to obtain a drinkable spirit. Although termed "whiskey", the spirit produced during this period would have differed from what is currently recognized as whiskey, as it would not have been aged, and was often flavored with aromatic herbs such as mint, thyme, or anise. |
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If you're not a fan of whiskey, you might want to try an Irish gin instead. Although Ireland is known for its whiskey, gin has been produced there for centuries, dating back to 1793. Gin was historically produced by distilleries as a temporary alternative product as they waited for their whiskeys to mature. Dingle Gin uses, amongst other botanicals, rowan berry from the mountain ash trees, fuchsia, bog myrtle, hawthorn and heather for a taste of the Kerry landscape. Gunpowder Gin is made with green tea leaves, and gets its name because the rolled up tea leaves look reminiscent of gunpowder.
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Cocktail Of The Week: The Daiquiri
The first day of Spring is next week and to me that means Daiquiri Time! One of the simplest and tastiest drinks out there. I know it may still be cold out but we can pretend.
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INGREDIENTS
2 oz Ten To One White Rum
.75 oz Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
.75 oz Simple Syrup
1 dash of Bittercube Cherry Bark Vanilla Bitters
INSTRUCTIONS: Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker, add ice, shake and strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a dehydrated lime wheel.
*The bitters are optional but I think they take the cocktail to the next level.
Cheers,
Nikola
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Regis Poissinet Extra Brut Champagne
2022 Borell Diehl Saint Laurent Rose
2022 Breca Rose
2022 Pedroncelli Rose
2017 Ovis Cabernet Sauvignon
2021 Flowers Chardonnay
2021 Clos LaChance Meritage
2020 Leviathan Red Wine
2019 Maxime Laurent 'Il Fait Soif' Cotes du Rhone
2021 Raeburn Cabernet Sauvignon
2019 BV Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
2021 Bergstrom Cumberland Reserve Pinot Noir
2020 Caruso Minini Perricone
2021 Richter Mulheimer Sonnenlay Zeppelin Riesling
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Friday Tasting Table
Friday, 03/17/23, 4 - 8 p.m.
Join Michael Kuperman of Tradition for a FREE wine tastings this Friday!
Get 10% off any of the wines you taste.
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6oz Pour
Wine Education Classes
World of Wine Series
WOW - Spain, The B-Sides
Thursday, March 23,
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., $60
Spanish wine, perhaps more than any other country, offers the perfect blend of variety, affordability, and deliciousness. This part two of our two part Spanish Wine Series. We're offering a 20% discount on both of the classes if purchased as a set. Look for the event option - Package Pricing for Spain in 7 and Spain the B-sides, on our TOCK calendar for more details.
Reserve your seats on Tock
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Staff Picks - What to Drink This Week
Try these special, staff-selected libations!
2021 Anónimas Viticultoras Os Dunares Albariño - $26.99
Women made and fish friendly- there's a fish right on the label- this is the perfect wine for Lent and Women's History Month. Anónimas is a project founded by Cristina Yagüe Cuevas and Maria Falcón, the aim being to pay tribute to all those anonymous women whose input into the wine industry was never recogniZed. Os Dunares (‘the dunes’) is from a tiny, 200-year-old organic vineyard in Rías Baixas, organically farmed in very shallow granitic sand on a bedrock of granite, in the cool and wet Atlantic-facing Salnés climate. This friendly and refreshing white wine is made with 100% Albariño grapes grown on 40-year-old vines in Galicia, Spain. Pear, citrus, white flower and spicy notes make this an excellent pairing for white fish, raw and cooked seafood, and tapas!
-Angie
2021 Vina Maitia 'Weon' Carignan, Maule Valley - $17.99
The new vintage of my favorite inexpensive chillable Carignan has arrived, this year with
15% Pais in the mix. Fermented in large concrete vats with minimal pump overs, this
wine is juicy and chillable. The granitic soils and 60+ year old vines this wine spawns from shine through, offering some intriguing minerality and more complexity than you'd expect
for the price. This is a step in the direction of Spring, or in my case a sprint because I can't stop sipping on this glou glou!
-Kat
Fair State Kold - $10.99
It's March in Minnesota, which means it's still plenty kold... I mean cold outside. Whether it feels like winter, spring (eventually, right?), or summer outside, Kold is a kolsch-style ale that's meant for everyday drinking with friends, no matter the weather. True to the kolsch style, Kold is light and crisp, eminently refreshing. At 4.7% ABV, this is also a beer you can have more than one of without feeling full and over-boozed.
-Nick N
2019 D.V. Catena 'Tinto Historico 1910' Mendoza, Argentina - $22.99
This red blend comes from Bodega Catena Zapata owners Laura Catena and her father, Nicolas Catena, as an homage to her Grandfather, Domingo Vincente Catena.
D.V. was known as a "Master of the Assemblage" when, in the 1930s, his blend was all the rage in the French bistros of Buenos Aires. Consisting primarily of Malbec, a generous amount of Bonarda and a little bit of Petite Verdot are added to the blend. Each different grape comes from old-vine estate vineyards in Maipu, Rivadavia, and the Uco Valley. The best expression of these individual varietals coalesce to create a luscious wine ready to enjoy now or after many more years in your cellar. Aromas of ripe red berries, plum, and floral violets lead to a plush feel on the palate of juicy red fruit balanced by a light smoky savory quality that gives the wine wonderful tension. Round tannins and lifted fruit carry the wine to a pleasing finish. Lauded by major wine critics (91 points from Robert Parker and 94 points from James Suckling) this is a delicious tribute to a Master Blender from Argentina's first family of wine.
-Patrick
2021 Poggio Scalette Chianti Classico $21.99
This delicious Chianti is new to the shop and is easily the best example in its price category. It is all Sangiovese that is fermented in concrete, allowing for the purity of the bright red berry fruit to shine through. The wine shows aromas of cherry fruit and mild baking spice and the medium bodied palate explodes with a core of strawberry and cherry fruit with subtle notes of pepper. While this has fine, integrated tannin, the richness of the fruit makes this a rare Chianti that you can enjoy on its own. Pair this with everyday Italian dishes that are tomato based or a dry-aged porterhouse steak.
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VERY IMPORTANT - Furry Friend Visits! |
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Cheers Everyone!
The Team at North Loop Wine & Spirits
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