Tis' the Season to Wine and Dine!

The Christmas season is here again and it’s time to shop for gifts! I’m sure you’re thinking about or on the hunt for a great gift for that special friend or family member. Well if they like wine, here are some gift suggestions for those wine lovers close to you.

Foil cutters are a must-have to for wine drinkers. They make opening a bottle much easier and cut that pesky foil off a bottle with one twist of your wrist. They come in a variety of shapes and colors and can be found at Target or your local wine product stores pricing from $4 and up.

A wonderful gift for wine lovers and non-wine lovers as well, are wine gift baskets. This lovely gift can be as big or small as you would like and are stuffed with, of course, a bottle of wine, cheeses, gourmet chocolates, crackers, summer sausage, etc. Baskets can be bought from your local wine shop or purchased online and shipped straight to that special someone. Prices range from $19.95 and up. Also, if you’re the do-it-yourself type, making this gift can be even more cost friendly.

Always a great gift to give is a bottle of wine. This is also great to have if you’re invited to a Christmas party or dinner. If you’re not sure what wine to choose, white wine is always a great choice. There are also bags that you can purchase for wine bottles to give asgifts. Price ranges for a bottle of wine go from under $10 and up.

Gift bags for wine bottles can be purchased at the Dollar Tree for as little as a $1.

Cloverdale Pub Crawl



Come out for a night of fun in the Historic Cloverdale District  as RSVP brings you the next

Pub Crawl!

Wristbands are $5!

Includes access to trolleys and discounts at all participating pub crawl stops including The Capri Theatre, El Rey, Tomatinos, Chophouse, Bud’s, ROUX, Pine Bar, Café Louisa and Sinclairs.

For more information visit www.rsvp-montgomery.com or call 334.356.4598

Halloween Wine & Jazz



Saturday, October 29th

 6:00pm - 10:00pm

Wine, Jazz, and Food. Costumes are welcomed but not required.

Come as you are or how you wanna be.

For more information go to http://www.vizzinifarmswinery.com/

Taste of the River Region

The Alabama Restaurant Association and the Junior League of Montgomery would like to invite you to the

2011 Taste of the River Region
Sunday, October 2, 2011
6:00pm-8:00pm

Renaissance Hotel and Conference Center

Come and enjoy many delicious of the River Region's best restaurants!

Advanced tickets are just $25 or $30 at the door

VIP Tabels are only $500 and come with 10 VIP tickets,early entry (5:30pm) a table and signage recognition

CLICK HERE to order your tickets now!

For more information go to www.jlmontgomery.org

9th Annual Grape Stomp & Lucille Ball Look Alike-Morgan Creek Vineyards

Saturday, September 17
  10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Join us for winery tours, wine tastings, live music and, of course grape stomping.

$10/person

Parking provided

                  Bring a picnic or purchase food on site.

For more on this event and Morgan Creek Vineyards go to the Alabama Wineries and Vineyards Section.                 

Bojo Knows Best!

If you ask most people about Beaujolais, they will say ‘Oh yeah, Beaujolais Nouveau. Good stuff.’ It is, but the Beaujolais region is so much more than just its Nouveau. Beaujolais is the largest wine producing region in Burgundy, France. Located to the south of Maconnais, it has over 50,000 acres of vines planted.

Beaujolais wines are made from the Gamay grape which is a cross between Pinot Noir and the white Gouais. With its close proximity to the Mediterranean Sea and its semi-continental weather, this cross ripens two weeks earlier than Pinot Noir and it isn’t as hard to cultivate. This resulted in a larger production of fruitier wines.  But everyone wasn’t always okay with planting Gamay. In 1395, the Phillipe the Bold outlawed the production of Gamay because he felt that it was taking away prime vineyard land from the more appreciated and respected Pinot Noir. So winemakers pushed Gamay further south out of mainland Burgundy into what is now known as Beaujolais, where it found itself in granitic soils where the grape flourished.

The region of Beaujolais is divided into two distinct soil types which also divide the region into Northern and Southern Beaujolais with Villefranche as the middle point. The hilly northern portion has most of the Cru Beaujolais communes and is made up of granite, schist and a little limestone. The southern half or Bas Beaujolais is a bit flatter and contains more clay-based, sandy soils with some limestone patches sprinkled throughout the region. These soil differences present themselves in the wine with the North producing wines with a fuller body and a more complex structure. The wines of the South have a crisper, more acidic flavor with loads of red fruit on the palate.

Back to Beaujolais Nouveau, it was actually created by George Duboeuf for marketing purposes. It’s a light, fruity style of Beaujolais that is meant to be drunk quickly and can be slightly chilled. The grapes are picked around late August, early September and the wine is only fermented a few days before it’s bottled. These wines are then released to t he public on the third Thursday of November at 12:01 am, Beaujolais Nouveau Day. This wine can last for a couple of years but it won’t develop any additional flavors or characteristics from bottle aging.

As for the actual wines of Beaujolais, they are divided into the following levels of quality:

Beaujolais AOC – all Beaujolais falls into this category

                Beaujolais Blanc – made from Chardonnay and Aligote  

                Beaujolais Rose

Beaujolais Villages AOC

Cru Beaujolais – the highest level of quality, 10 Crus

So when you’re thinking of a red wine for white wine drinkers, think Beaujolais!

 Article by Tanisha Townsend

Find out more on Tanisha in our About Section

2nd Annual Riverwalk Wine Festival

Make plans now for this spectacular afternoon of wine on the water!

Saturday

October 8, 2011

1:00pm to 4:00p.m.

Montgomery Riverfront in Downtown Montgomery

Event will include wine tasting from 11 different distributors representing over 100 wineries.

Admission is $25 per person and will include:

• Etched wine glass commemorating the event
• Discounted wine purchases from participating local wine shoppes
• Food samples
• Live music
• Picnic baskets and coolers are welcome
• Discounted tickets for a special Harriott II Wine Cruise

You can purchase your tickets here:

• Online Now at E-tix
• RSVP Montgomery
• Riverfront Facilities
• Derk's Filet & Vine
• Peppertree Steaks & Wine
• Tickets will be available for purchase on August 15

 

6th Annnual Jazz on the Grass



WVAS-FM and the Alabama Jazz & Blues Federation present

the 6th annual

Jazz on the Grass

at the Riverwalk Amphitheater in Downtown Montgomery.

Featuring performances by Hart Ramsey, Reggie Hines, Kim Scott, Roman Street, The Hot 8 Brass Band, The Recreators and much more.

Gates open at 10am horns up at 11.

Tickets available at Dirk's Filet & Vine in Old Cloverdale, Ted the Wine Guy, Riverwalk Stadium, Another Chance Package Store and you can go online at etix.com

For more information call 334-229-4708.

August is Pinot Grigio Month!

Courtesy of About.com

Definition: Italy's most popular white wine is produced from the * Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris grape varietal. This wine hails from the northeast region of Veneto and Friuli. A light, crisp white wine that is intended to be consumed early on.

Flavor Profile Pinot Grigio flavors can range from melon to pear and some even offer a subtle tropical or citrus fruit, often there is a honey or smoky flavor component as well. As for color, Pinot Grigio is typically a pale, straw-like yellow with some golden hues thrown in. The texture of a Pinot Grigio is worth noting, as it has very smooth, almost silk-like overtones that leave an impression on the palate.

Food Pairing
Pinot Grigio pairs nicely with seafood, light pastas and cheese cracker combinations. Since this wine is fairly acidic itself, avoid pairing with foods that have high acid contents, like citrus fruits or tomato-based recipes.

Key Producers to Try
Stella
Hogue
Stone Wolf
St. Michael-Eppan
Chehalem
Bethel Heights
Eyrie Vineyards

Happy Pinot Grigio Drinking!

Wine of the Week from the Wine Whisperer

Heavyweight Cabernet Sauvignon

When you’ve got a big, rare rib eye or a killer cheeseburger on your plate, do you really want a nice little fruity white wine or a delicate pink number in your glass? We didn’t think so. Sometimes the situation just calls for BIG, rich, mouthful of flavor, and that’s when you need a Champion in your glass!

Now don’t worry, this Cabernet Sauvignon isn’t just another big bruiser. The blackberry and currant aromas are swift and lingering. The rich fruit flavors don’t feint or dodge-they’re straight ahead and swarming. And like the best heavyweights, the flavors come at you in combinations and by the time you figure one out, you get hit with another. So just take a couple of sips and then go your corner and catch your breath....

Premium, oak aged Cabernet Sauvignon blended with Syrah and Zinfandel. Three Collector’s Labels are available for each vintage.

Heavyweight is one of my favorite Cabernet’s due to its richness, but smooth enough to be enjoyed with almost anything. This regal wine is a tremendous value with its underpriced cost, and it over delivers in pleasure. Heavyweight is sold in top steakhouse’s in the Southeast like Flemings Steakhouse and Ruth’s Chris.

Heavyweight is also available in Chardonnay and Petite Sirah.

For more on the Wine Whisperer go to www.staceywines.com