Red Carpet Wine - Staff Picks

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Of the hundreds of wines we sample every month, here are some we recommend.

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Alex's Wine Selections

Ah, the holidays are over and now we get to relax and get back into the game. In addition to the wine, I've been having a lot of fun with the beer department recently. From bringing in new, rare beers to hosting beer tastings, there's a lot going on in that part of our store. Just in the last month, we've added a few dozen beers to our selection, especially things that fall into more obscure categories like sour, oak-aged and vintage. One of my favorites recently (unfortunately selling-out far too fast) was a beer called J.W. Lee's Harvest Ale. On it's own, this beer is not too difficult to track down, but what this very special is that after the brewing process; the beer was matured in Lagavulin casks. The peat smoke and the burn from the scotch came across in the resulting beer very nicely, creating a thick, rich, almost unctuous drink that had the sort of complexity that could make some of the finest wines jealous. While we might not have any of this in stock right now, expect to see more of it and of this sort of thing in the future. In the mean time, we do have various beers that have been aged in Bourbon barrels, wine barrels, scotch barrels, and new oak barrels. It really is a fascinating element of the beer world.

Alex

2002 Lorca Pinot Noir
Gary's Vyd
$29.94

This 2002 is both representative of a stellar vineyard and an excellent vintage. And all for under $30! One of the most telling signs of us having found a hit when we taste through prospective wines is when one or two of us ask for a second taste. But by the time the whole lot of us had gotten our second (or even third) taste, the fresh bottle was nearly gone. And then our jaws just about hit the floor when we heard about the price. Get this while you can, when the word gets out, there won't be much hope for seconds.

2006 Martin Codax Albarino
$13.97

It's crisp white wine season. Time for Sauvignon Blanc, Gruner Veltliner, un-oaked Chardonnay and Albarino! This is quickly becoming one of the more popular white wines, and you can expect to see more and more of these on wine lists at restaurants. Grown almost exclusively in Portugal and Spain, this is quickly becoming the most commonly seen white wine from that region of Europe. Dry and acidic, often with a hint of effervescence, this makes for a very refreshing summer drink.

Stone Imperial Russian Stout
$5.19

A style fabled to have originated as something to appease the Russian Imperial Court, this is a stout that chews-up and spits-out other stouts. Coming from San Diego's self-proclaimed 'arrogant bastards' at Stone Brewing, this is one of their most notorious seasonal releases: only making it's appearance once every spring, then going into hibernation for another year. This beer is dark and strong, just about as 'stout' as they come. It's rich, complex malts make for heady aromas of dark chocolate, coffee and nuts. Be kind to this beer. If you take your time, it will treat you nicely, but be careful, as when treated poorly, it will come back and haunt you. This can age very nicely as well (I just had a bottle from 2006 that tasted great), so it'd be a good one to get a whole case and slowly work your way through over the next five years.


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