Thursday, December 16, 2021
The most wonderful time of the year...stressfully preparing for Christmas!
This Week: we hash out a Holiday game-plan that will blow your guests away - or make you the guest of honor! Below are some of the trickier wine pairings for holiday fair, along with some classics you'll want to 'knock out the park' this year!

Christmas Tin Popcorn + 2017 Domaine Carrette Macon-Milly-Lamartine - $21.99
What's better than a classic holiday film and popcorn (butter or white cheddar) fresh from the decorative tin? Answer: enjoying both of these with a glass of White Burgundy! We suggest the Carrette Macon for a creamy, buttery brioche style of Chardonnay with a classic citric lift! The richness of the wine mimics the butteriness of the snack, while being soft enough to not overshadow!

Veggie Tray + 2016 Les Charmes-Godard Francs-Cotes De Bordeaux - $27.99
As you nibble amongst the crudite spread, pour yourself a glass of a crisp white wine with racy acidity and a light body. We love the Les Charmes-Godard Bordeaux Blanc for raw vegetable grazing! Because the blend is 50% Semillon, this wine has enough weighty texture to accompany various dips, such as a smoked salmon spread. Other lovely white wine options to pair with pre-dinner spreads include Vermentino, Oregon Pinot Gris, or the infallible option of dry sparkling wine.

Honey Baked Ham + Ridge Lytton Estate Petite Sirah - $47.99
You may notice a lack of verve for Petite Sirah in our wine reviews, but that's not to say it doesn't have a place at the table. When serving the big ol' holiday ham, you want a full-bodied/high tannin red wine that can stand up to the richness of the pig. We love Petite Sirah as an option, because it brings the weight while also adding notes of pepper, minerality, herbaceousness, leather & smoke, fig, and black currant. When we grab for Petite Sirah, it's most always made by Ridge. You can grab the 2016 Lytton Estate currently - tell your auntie it's a Robert Parker 93 pointer! Other excellent options include: fruit forward/fuller bodied red wines such as Zinfandel or Côtes du Rhône, and for white wines opt for medium bodied aromatic wines such as Viognier or Gewurztraminer.

Christmas Ribs + 2016 Pierre Gaillard Côte Rôtie - $67.99
Whether it be classic 'smoked baby back' or a festive Cranberry BBQ smothered rack, we'd urge you to grab a bottle of Syrah to wash it down! For a complex Syrah with notes of pepper, bacon fat, olive, black berries/cherries, and smoky minerality - look to the Northern Rhone! We suggest trying out a Côte Rôtie, specifically a bottle of the beloved producer Pierre Gaillard! We have the the elegant 2016 vintage on the shelf, but if you're craving a very special experience - we still also carry Gaillard's 2004 'Rose Pourpre' Côte Rôtie for $94.99!

Gingerbread + 2017 Donnafugata 'Ben Rye' Passito di Pantelleria (375 ml)- $49.99
When pairing wine with dessert, you generally need a wine as sugarplum-sweet as the pairing. Otherwise, the wine will taste bitter and sour and you will ruin Christmas...Kidding. But, a proper pairing can be the talk of the table! We suggest the Donnafugata Passito di Pantelleria, made from Zibibbo grapes grown in volcanic Sicilian soil, then vinified in the classic Moscato Passito style - where you press juice from dried grapes! The results are a mineral rich, full-bodied dessert wine with notes of citrus zest, almonds, dried figs, honey, and balsamic reduction. If you don't have an overwhelming sweet tooth - try this wine with blue cheese, caramelized duck, or foie gras!

Store Hours
Friday, December 24th: 9am - 6pm
Saturday, December 25th: CLOSED
Sunday, December 26th: 9am - 10pm

Cheers,
The Team at NL Wine & Spirits
Cocktail Of The Week:
Maravilla
I am non-stop craving tequila this winter season! Maybe it's the "Blue Christmas" tropical vibes - but agave based spirits are on the mind & menu!
I was wanting to do a smoky cocktail this week but I didn't want to do scotch, so we will be playing around with Mezcal. Most people think of tequila and mezcal as summer spirits. This is a great one for winter. The Maravilla cocktail is a new concoction, first created by Jose Cardenas at the Raines Law Room in NYC. This cocktail has a smokiness from the mezcal and a nice chocolatines from the creme de cacao, then finishes with gaslight bitterness from the amaro. 

For mezcal I am using Alipus San Luis which is a joven espadin agave mezcal. Next is Amaro Sfumato Rabarbaro which is a rhubarb amaro. Then we will use Tattersall Creme de Cacao to get the chocolatey goodness. Then orange and chocolate bitters.

Maravilla Recipe

2 oz Alipus San Luis Mezcal
.25 oz Amaro Sfumato Rabarbaro
.5 oz Tattersall Creme de Cacao
2 dashes of Bittercube Orange Bitters
2 dashes of Bittercube Chipotle Cacao Bitters

Add all ingredients into a mixing glass, add ice, stir briefly, Strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with an orange peel 

Cheers,
Nikola Govich
Staff Picks: What to Drink This Week
Things our staff thinks you should drink.

Tullamore D.E.W. Single Malt 14 year old - $79.99
Rich and sweet with notes of fruit, oak, and light spice this triple distilled single malt is a perfect sipper for cold winter nights. Bottled at 41.3% ABV this Irish whiskey is best enjoyed neat or on the rocks. Makes a great gift for the whiskey lover in your family or to treat yourself this holiday season.
-Todd

2018 Renardat Fache ‘Cerdon’ - $29.99
As we approach peak bubbles season let’s ease into something low alcohol, pink, lightly sparkling, and so delicious you could polish off the bottle yourself. Alain Renardat’s Cerdon, from the Bugey region of eastern France, is made of Gamay and Poulsard, and follows the techniques of méthode ancestrale. This lightly sparkling wine tops out at 8%, berry-scented with a kiss of sweetness is the perfect aperitif or dessert wine and could easily pair with holiday cookies!
-Angie

2020 Granbazan "Etiqueta Verde" Albarino - $21.99
One of the best producers of Albarino in Spain, Granbazan was founded in 1981 and was the original quality pioneer in the region investing in modern winemaking and trained enologists. Etiqueta Verde is the entry level wine from Granbazan and it shows amazing energy with its balance of acidity and ripe, rich fruit. Sancerre lovers take note. Aromas of peach and white flowers jump from the glass. The palate shows green apple and stone fruit with a touch of salinity. This Albarino would make a perfect aperitif, but will really shine paired with seafood. I recommend it with shellfish or crab legs.
-Rob

2019 Vignetti Zanatta, 'Salana', Cannonau di Sardegna - $17.99
"A rose by any other name..."
Although Cannonau is technically the same red wine grape as French Grenache Noir, I think it has a more voluptuous Italian accent. Perhaps a little bit like the difference between Catherine Deneuve and Sophia Loren. From the rough and dry Gallura region of the beautiful Italian island of Sardinia comes this rich medium bodied red wine from the Zanatta family. Aromas of hazelnut, violets, supple leather, and Mediterranean herbs greet your nose before spiced cherry, plum, and vanilla fill your palate. The tannins are of a restrained nature, balanced with enough acidity to make for a pleasing tasting enjoyment sitting next to a roaring fire (with, preferably, Ottorino Resphegi's The Pines of Rome playing on the stereo) or as a great dining match with herb-rubbed rack of lamb, continued with a cheese course of aged Pecorino.
Salut!
-Patrick

Meinklang Foam Vulcan Somló - $24.99
Meinklang is a Demeter certified Austrian winery is part of the Michlits Family farm, where each family member specializes is in separate aspects of farming: cattle, fruit and agriculture, and viticulture. At the winery, the Michlits fertilize their vineyards from their prized Angus & Aubrac cattle herd. The Foam Vulcan is a Pet Nat [sparkling] wine sourced from Harslevelü and Juhfark grapes grown on volcanic soils in the Somló Mountain region of Hungary. Of course this natural wine is made using native yeasts and is left unfined/unfiltered. Mineral driven with notes of green apple and passionfruit, this lively/aromatic Pet Nat is a delicious treat for when you're craving something outside the ordinary!
-Katrina

VERY IMPORTANT: Animal Friends Of The Week
Cheers everyone!
-The Team at North Loop Wine & Spirits