Friday, October 8, 2010

Spanish Wine and Food Pairing

For the past 10 years, Spanish wines have been synonymous with value. It is the most widely planted wine producing nation in the world while being the third largest wine producer. There are twenty native grape varietals used towards wine production and you can find an assortment of these grape varietal at Vines Wine and Spirits. The quality of wine for the prices is amazing and this category is always well received during wine tasting events. Whether in search of sparkling wine, crisp whites, or bold reds; Spain produces them at a great value.
Cava is a Spanish sparkling wine made in the traditional method of the French sparkling wine Champagne. With prices of Champagne constantly on the rise, Cava has become more and more popular over the years. It will pair well with popcorn, fish tacos, shellfish, sushi, or spicy Thai. When it comes to bubbles, the Marques De Gelida Cava at $16.99 is a staff favorite!
Albarino is sourced from northwest Spain in the Rias Baixas and is pale golden lemon in color, crisp, elegant, and fresh. Bone-dry and aromatic, these wines are packed with flavors of white peach, apricot, melon, pineapple, mango and honeysuckle. The wines have good natural acidity, mineral overtones, and are medium-bodied with moderate alcohol. Albarino will complement ceviche, shellfish, chicken, or vegetarian dishes. I would suggest Cana Albarino 2007 for $14.99.
Verdejo is a varietal that has long been grown in the Rueda region in Spain. The wines are well balanced and structured. Verdejo wines have the taste and smell of pears and can be nutty and honeyed after some aging in bottle. On the palate it has a creamy texture, vibrant acidity, and intense flavors leading to a lengthy, fruit-filled finish. The Shaya Verdejo 2008 tasted great for $13.99. It will pair well with Asian cuisine, chicken, seafood, ham, or Sushi.
Garnacha is one of the most widely planted varietals throughout Spain. The wines of the Garnacha are characterized by a very fruity, almost sweet taste. You will detect blackberry and some pepper. Available in both red and rose, two suggestions would be Las Rocas Garnacha 2007 for $10.99 and Borsao Rose Garnacha 2008 for $7.99. The Las Rocas will pair great with grilled meats, wild game, roasted pork, robust cheeses, or heavy Asian dishes. The Borsao Rose will complement delicate fish, turkey, vegetarian dishes, and always makes a great pairing with traditional Thanksgiving meals.
Tempranillo produces deep-colored wine with a fruity taste and smell. These wines are very complex with notes of spices, red fruits, plum, tobacco, vanilla, leather and herb, and good minerality. Tempranillo is a very diverse wine that can pair well with a variety of dishes. Tempranillo sourced from Rioja, like the Lan Rioja Crianza 2005 at $14.99, pairs well with chicken, ham, turkey, roasted pork, grilled fish, and vegetarian dises. A heavier Tempranillo, like the Triton Tinto de Torro 2007 for $18.99, would pair nicer with grilled red meats, roasted game, venison, lamb, or barbecues.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Welcome to Vines Wine and Spirits

Not just another liquor store
Vines Wine and Spirits is no stranger to the industry. Brought to you by the owners of Vines Grille and Wine Bar, five-time winner of the prestigious Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence, this retail location first opened its doors in spring of 2009. In the fall of 2009, Vines W&S expanded to 4500 square feet with a vision of offering Central Florida wine, beer, and spirit consumers a retail experience second to none. “With our experience and personal relationships with some of the greatest wine makers of the world, we are able to provide our patrons with an exceptional selection of wines at terrific prices, from the value driven every day favorites to the hard to get rare and collectables,” says owner Dimitri Karabinis.
Vines W&S extended their love of wine by building a tasting room and lounge area. A serene piece of wine heaven located in the back of the shop where the guest can enjoy a wonderful wine tasting experience while sitting back and relaxing in the chic and cozy lounge area.
Vines selection of wine caters to those enthusiasts who search for value driven wines, as well as collectors searching for esoteric small production wines-- and everything else in between. Vines Wine and Spirits goes the extra step with providing descriptions, ratings and tasting notes to serve as a shopping guide and assisting you with your selections. During the expansion, a cellar room was added to mass several hundred collectable & rare wines. This collection contains some of the most sought after wines including names such as Domaine Romanee Conti-- a world class Burgundy, the 2007 Scarecrow Cabernet-- a 100 point scoring wine by Robert Parker, and Dows 2007 Vintage Porto which scored 100 points by Wine Spectator.
In addition to accommodating wine lovers, Vines has also incorporated an extensive beer section including different domestic, import, and craft beers, and a special “Build Your Own 6 Pack” section in which the guest can pick and choose from the wide variety of beers to put together their perfect combination. The store provides an easy to shop casual and chic environment, and an eclectic selection of products to ensure an enjoyable shopping experience. The friendly and knowledgeable staff is always eager to provide wine advice and suggest drink recipes for the vast selection of different spirits carried in the store.
Vines W&S will host many events in the fall of 2010 in which we will have winery representatives in the store to educate and pour their products during wine tasting events. Other events will be less casual and more educational with limited seating to provide a more intimate setting intended to be more informational. There will also be events where spirits are the focus, for example a Scotch and Bourbon Tasting, scheduled for October 13th. Altogether, There will be 15 tasting events scheduled from September through December of 2010, including an “Icons of the Andes” tasting in which 6 winemakers from South America will be in the store. Our Holiday Tasting will feature up to 50 different wines from around the world. To keep all of our guests updated on store happenings, we use different forms of social networking such as Twitter, under Vineswineshop, and Vines Wine and Spirits on Facebook as a Local Business. In addition, guests can also drop an email address at the store or via our website vineswineshop.com in which we send out a weekly newsletter to highlight new inventory, current inventory, upcoming events, and promotions.
Vines Wine and Spirits persists on making an impression to our customers by providing custom gift baskets for any and all occasions. Whether personal, small office, or large corporate gift baskets, we tailor to your specific needs, with any combination of products from our wines, spirits, cigars, gourmet foods, or accessories to create the perfect gift.
The name Vines has been has been synonymous with fine wine in Central Florida, and we are pleased to have expanded our expertise into the retail market. Our goal at Vines Wine and Spirits is to exceed your expectations and create an enjoyable and comprehensive shopping experience. Whether you are stopping by for a bottle of wine to serve with dinner, planning an event, or looking for a place to unwind, Vines Wine and Spirits is happy to serve you.