Beer and Wine Weekly Update, November 10, 2014

By Josh Downs, Beer and Wine Manager

It’s funny that I mentioned the weird seasonality of the beer world last week.  Right after the post went up I was informed that some Christmas beers are already available, and the switchover from fall to winter seasonal beers is pretty much complete.  If you are into the fall seasonal offerings, I have a feeling what is left won’t last long so get it while you can. 

Thankfully in the wine world, seasonality isn’t as big of a thing.  Yes, you do have a few wines that only come out at certain times of the year (I’m looking at you, Beajoulais Nouveau), but for the most part you can count on your favorite wines being around any time of the year.  That’s not to say that season and weather don’t affect wine though. 

The ongoing drought in California has made for a much different growing season in Napa and Sonoma.  The drought has been incredibly devastating to the agricultural industry in California, but the wine industry has actually been affected in more positive ways than negative.  The dry weather makes for smaller, more concentrated berries that make better wine.  Some vintners are saying this is the best vintage they have ever seen.  The dry weather also shortened the growing season, allowing for an early harvest that avoided fall weather.  Considering the

earthquake in August that caused over $80 million in wine losses, this is all good news for the wine world.  The drought is obviously not all good news though.  If it keeps up through next year we could see quite the opposite effect, so here’s hoping, for all of California’s sake, that this drought clears up soon.

Changes in the Department

This week there are not that many big changes to the department, besides the continuing transition to more cool weather wines and beers.  A local stand out in the seasonal beers, Shed’s Nosedive Porter, has arrived and is fantastic this year so make sure to check that out. 

Also, the transformation on the back of the beer cooler is now complete and allowed for the return of The Traveler Beer Company to City Market.  It may seem a bit out of season, having a brewery that produces shandys only return as we are heading into winter, but these refreshing brews are good any time of the year.  Their winter seasonal, Jolly Traveler, is especially tasty.  Like I said last week, with this change to the back wall, we no

longer have out of cooler 12 packs on display in nearly the quantity we did before.  If there is anything you are looking for outside of what’s in the cooler, please feel free to ask our awesome Beer & Wine staff about it, and they can get it for you if it’s in stock.

Local Wine of the Week

This week we are tasting a newcomer to the City Market wine set.  Snow Farm Vineyards, Vermont’s first vineyard and grape winery, is located in South Hero.  Their location on Lake Champlain allows them to grow varietals not normally found in Vermont, and they produce some awesome wines.  We’ve always carried a few wines from Snow Farm (Seyval Blanc and Baco Noir being the most

popular), but we just added the Crescent Bay Red to the mix.  The Crescent Bay is a Meritage blend of Baco Noir, Leon Millot, and Frontenac, all of which are estate-grown.

The wine pours a deep garnet red, with a nose of raspberry and subtle oak.  The first sip was fruit forward, but not overpowering.  The overall mouth feel was mellow, soft, and inviting.  Notes of blackberry, raspberry, and strawberry carry you through to a nice, lightly oaked finish.  This wine definitely has a Vermont taste, but some of the French traditions in winemaking definitely come through.  I would highly recommend giving this bottle a try.  If you are looking for a medium body, easy drinking red that will pair well with almost any dish you throw at it, this is it.

Weekly Winners

Sometimes good deals pop up that are really exciting, and this week we have two products at the lowest price they have ever seen at City Market.

Hey Mambo is a brand under The Other Guys, one of California’s oldest winemaking families.  They are known not only for the Hey Mambo line, but Leese-Fitch, Pennywise, Plungerhead, and a few other extremely successful labels.  A lot of these wines have always been favorites here at City Market, but the Hey Mambo Sultry Red is a stand out.  Deep purple with a nose of fresh blackberry pie, this wine is fantastic alongside your favorite cold weather comfort foods.

In the beer world, we have an awesome IPA from Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Founders Brewing Co is known for their bold, flavorful, and truly fantastic beers.  Their specialty and limited lines are out of this world, and their everyday selection is top notch.  The Centennial IPA is the perfect combination of a sweet, malty body with a dry hopped finish.  This beer has big flavor, yet is incredibly easy to drink.  Drink this alongside a juicy burger and a big plate of fries.  The Centennial IPA is featured in 12 pack cans  this week.

Beer and Wine News

A couple weeks ago I mentioned that we have been planning on expanding the beer and wine demo program here at City Market.  Over the past couple weeks we have been busy chatting with beer and winemakers, and I’m excited to share that we have quite a few tastings coming up over the course of November and December.  Starting things off this month, on Tuesday the 18^th we will have Snow Farm Vineyards (described in the “Local Feature” above) in the store pouring some of their Vermont-grown wines.  As I mentioned last week, we will be tasting the wines offered in the City Market Holiday Wine 6 Pack on Thursday the 20^th.  In December, we will see the return of Citizen Cider on the 17^th and Simple Roots will be here on the 18^th.  Look forward to appearances from East Shore Vineyards, Dogfish Head, and Finch’s Brewing Company in December as well!  As soon as we have the dates finalized I’ll let you know.  All the tastings will be in the 3pm to 6pm time frame, right in the Beer & Wine Department.

As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or topics you’d like covered feel free to contact me at jdowns@citymarket.coop, or give me a call at 802-861-9730.  Until next week, Prost!