A great thanks to Bob Cannon for taking the time to speak with us, and also to Mother Nature for allowing us to stay powered up. Here’s the post show video in full form, because Bob is worth it. I don’t know about you, but I thought it was quite an education.

Dearest Richmond wine friends there are still two, count ‘em TWO months left of summer heat to beat. Heretofore, this summer’s brutal temps have turned me to beer (ok, willingly), wilted my greens, made my wife relent on AC, and seriously inhibited our ability to drink wine out on the deck while socializing with friends.

People, I don’t need to tell you how crucial “deck sittin’ weather” is to wine purveyors in the summer months – dare I say CRITICAL (and there are the big letters again). If you can’t get outside, how the hell am I to refresh you while getting you snockered*?

Folks, the answer is Grüner…

Behold, those ingenious Austrians bottled up their cool summer climate – the average summer highs are a blistering upper 70s – and shipped it to us in bottle allotments to be sold at a very reasonable prices. What’s not to like?

Here’s a collection of 6 inspired Grüner Veltliner Selections that capture the varied style of the grape that’s gone kick your Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blancs, Gris, Blancs, etc. to the curb. Well, at least for a night or two.

Hugl 2009 1L, $10

The grand poobah of backyard affairs. Hugl clocks in as the most accessible style for its charming fruit and hints of spiciness that provide its Grünerness. At a 10 spot for a liter, it’s affordable for any price range.

Zull 2008, $16

The Zull offers a bit more mineral character then the hugl, but focuses on refreshing fruit, light aromatics and modest acidity.

Fred Loimer, Lois 2008 (Lois like choice), $16

Lois is Fred’s son, so if you want to get cheeky with his name, get ready to fight an Austrian. This wine sings – terrific balance and a serious focus on mouth feel. More fruit braced by acidity with hints of spice

Josef Bauer 2009, $11

Here’s where the traditional spicy white pepper notes of Grüner really shine in a value format. This wine is serious, especially for $11 – if you’ve got the itch to go for some traditional Austrian fare this guy has you covered.

Martinshof Sepp 2008, $16

Refreshing and grippy with all the bells and whistles I could ask for. Did I mention it’s organic too? This one’s from the Kremstal region – we can all pretend we know exactly where that is – and, rightly or not, provides me with the most sense of place.

Szigeti Brut, (zih-gih-tee)$21 – the game changer

Aside from being on the list of 10 most fun words to say in ’10 – if you’re bloodthirsty for sparkling wine like me, you’ll find a unique experience here. Peter & Norbert Szigeti bet the family farm on sparkling wine, literally. After taking over from their parents 20 years ago, the brothers have become the kings of Austrian bubbly exporting the family products throughout Europe. Here’s what they have to say about the Brut:

“The Grüner Veltliner is delicate yet complex, with a mellow citrus color, appealing peppery note, elegantly fresh fruit, fine mousseux with an invigorating finish.”

I agree, and it’s well worth creating your own celebration…

Shall we open summer soon, or what?

Cheers!

Up next… a toast to pink.

*Also shnockered, which was my original spelling before I looked them up. Surprisingly both are represented in the dictionary, but dropping the “h” seems more classy – don’t you agree?

Due to another strike by Mother Nature, we’ll be hosting Bob Varner as Virtual Winemaker this Thursday August 5th from 6-7. Please join us!

Bob Varner of Varner Winery will join us electronically this evening from 6-7 for a tasting of the Foxglove wines and a sampling from each of the Varner and Neely lines. Both Bob and brother Jim manage the production of a dozen different wines from their Santa Cruz winery. After the tasting we’ll post a video of our interview with Bob here. Stay tuned.

We’ll have all the Foxglove wines available for purchase at the ta
sting, and you’ll be able to order the Neely Pinot Noir and Varner Chardonnay. Here are some Robert Parker reports (www.erobertparker.com)

2008 Foxglove Chardonnay
The sensational 2008 Chardonnay Central Coast, which is fermented and aged completely in stainless steel with no malolactic fermentation, is a 30,000-cuvee of fabulous Chardonnay. Loads of tropical fruit, honeysuckle, and orange blossom notes fill the olfactory sense, as does the luscious medium-bodied texture on the palate. The wine is buttressed by crisp underlying acidity, and the result is a fresh, naked expression of Chardonnay that is top-flight.

2007 Foxglove Cabernet Sauvignon
Foxglove also scores highly with their 10,800-case cuvee of 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon. A
blend of all-Paso Robles fruit and composed of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Petiti Verdot and Cabernet Franc, the wine has a dense ruby/purple color and plenty of black fruit intermixed with loamy soil undertones, licorice, and spice. The wine is luscious and. medium to full-bodied , with silky tannins and a heady, opulent finish.

2009 Foxglove Zinfandel
The 2009 has not been reviewed by Parker, but I think you’ll find a consistent style among all the Foxglove wines featuring pure fruit and solid acidity providing balance.

2007 Varner Home Block Chardonnay
Even better is the crisp, elegant, fresh 2007 Chardonnay Home Block. Representing pure liquid rocks intermixed with a cold steel-like structure, it smells of beeswax and citrus oil, but the best days of this backward Chardonnay are still ahead of it. After another year of bottle age, this wine should be “rocking and rolling.”

2007 Neely Hidden Block Pinot Noir
Ripe apple, plum, pomegranate, and wild strawberry aromas jump from the glass of the 2007 Pinot Noir. This seductive, soft, round, medium-bodied Pinot includes a small percentage of stems in the blend. Already displaying considerable complexity as well as appeal, it should drink nicely for 5-6 years.

Note: The sound improves dramatically at the 1:00 minute mark.

Enjoy & Cheers!

ORIGINAL POST:

Since my first day at Wine & Beer Westpark, we’ve carried the entire Victory lineup. Hop Devil began a personal IPA craze, Storm King was a revelation, and Hop Wallop was something we waited not-so-patiently for each fall. The quality of Victory’s beers has never been a question for me – in fact, some of my favorite beers in my cellar are Storm King and V-12. Now, seven years later, Victory is closing in on their 15th Anniversary and their core products aren’t just relevant, but stylistic benchmarks.

Victory’s seasonal category showcases the German and Belgian styles that influenced Ron and Bill early on, helping to spark the brewery’s inception. Our Wednesday line up reflects each of Victory’s styles – American, Belgian, and Seasonal – sprinkling a little new in with the old. And, for a special treat, we’ve secured enough Saison du Buff for the event to get the inside scoop on Victory’s collaboration with Dogfish Head and Stone.

Ron & Bill

Fresh off a whirlwind 80 events for Philly Beer Week and coronation as one of Philadelphia’s founding father’s of beer,  Bill Covaleski will join us at 6pm on June 30th to lead us through a tasting of six Victory Selections.

Whirlwind Witbier
Saison du BUFF
Helios Ale
V-12
Hop Devil
Storm King

Gem Array. The most distinct addition of our renovation is this custom built rack to hold our feature “gem” wines, which I have lovingly dubbed the Gem Array. This is where we hope to delight your curious minds with offbeat wines from all corners of the globe. Here you can transport to places like Jongieux, Penedes, and Patagonia and taste grapes like St Jeannet, Cot*, and Aglianico.

While you may not know those places or grapes, you may know that you like something with Merlot’s fruitiness or Sauvignon Blanc’s crispness, and this section is just the place to explore the characterisics you enjoy in the wines you already know through entirely new selections. If you like a little vino with your dinner, you’ll be surprised how a simple wine change can make your favorite meal a whole new experience.

Speaking of food, did you know we two trained chefs here at Wine and Beer Westpark – Spencer will happily work your dinner menu through a variety of wines and heaven help you if you strike up a conversation with Josh about beer and food!

Value Pairing. Personally, I’m more of a guy who can cook what I like the way I like it. However, I do have a tremendous appreciation for pairing the value of food with the value of wine.

Consider this, it’s Friday night and you have some company coming for dinner and you’ve decided to compliment the dinner with wine. You’ve spent $20 on your ingredients – that’s $5 a serving for food. If you divide your wine $s per serving (let’s say 5 healthy glasses per bottle), do you really want to accent your $5 a serving food with $1.60 per serving glass of wine?

For a complete experience, I’m paying attention to my values – give your meal a chance to be dynamic! If you have guests like mine and you get into that second or third bottle of wine, then there’s no need to go broke entertaining. For those finer occassions we have classice examples of each grape and wine regions, and for an easy pasta marinara you may want to just stick with the Gem Array.

Don’t be afraid to travel for taste.

Cheers,

Matt

*Did you see what I did there? Cot is the French name for Malbec, which most wine enthusiasts have been introduced to. However, in Cahors, France Cot/Malbec is the primary grape for blends and tends to present its more rustic, earthy.

Please note: It’s not in the nature of a punk to be quiet or well behaved, so if you’re the sensitive type or are easily offended, please consider having an extra beer before you settle in for the show.



R- Restricted

Under 17 requires accompanying by a parent or adult guardian.

Contains some adult material, may include adult themes, adult activity, or hard language.

Now all the Ukrop’s have made there change, and life begins again.

Let’s begin with some straight answers to some common questions. Yes we’ve already seen changes to our business since MARTY’s has opened. No I don’t think that the MARTY’s selection is inherenlty hurting us. Yes, I also realize that our protracted renovations have made us look closed.

Thanks to everyone who has stopped in with these and other questions, concerns, and, most importantly, a thirst for real wine and beer. Without questions there would be no reason to search harder to find our true self. While I don’t wish to dwell on the particulars of the first two subjects I will say they’ve motivated the rest of the discussion included below. As for the renovations, the finishing touches are ALL scheduled for this week, and truth be told only the walls and front windows really have a Spartan decor.

Confession. One thing I didn’t consider during the transition period was the possibility that Westpark customers would learn to shop at other grocery stores. Consider this: MARTY’s was closed for 10 days. The week prior to the closing saw a selection that had dwindled to a point where a typical family would not likely be able to find everything they needed for the week at one location (for some this occurred even earlier). That would provide a regular Westpark shopper two and a half weeks to get accustomed to a new store that may be just as close, or closer, to their home. What, then, is the incentive to return to a location and learn another new grocery store – especially for people that may harbour ill feelings already?

Our local fanbase is loyal, but the indication is that we need to reach more people outside of our local neighborhood. Considering there’s no roadside signage at our strip and we don’t have a regional ad budget, we must rely on word of mouth, as we always have.

Enter the unseen aspects. The beautifying of the store has pushed me to consider what we’re made of – the mission, our spirit, our philosophy – the things that differentiate us from the grocery stores, wholesalers, and even gas stations where you can purchase wine and beer. The things I hope you’ll communicate to others with a thirst for real wine and beer. Allow me to digress for one paragraph to better illustrate where I’m coming from:

I don’t watch much tv, but lately I’ve soaked in plenty of Gordon Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares. Like the show or not, like the man or not – he always provides insights. His delivery may be curt, but there’s generosity in his willingness to deliver the painful truth directly. This is by far the most educational portion of his visits to broken restaurants.

Truth. There’s a panic in the purveying of wine and beer from importing and wholesaling to retailing (clearly there’s a panic in many economic circles, but lets not digress too much). The simple truth is the market is saturated with competition, and people are more guarded with their disposable income.

There’s a large faction of people who are betting that the price gambit is (or will be) the single most compelling factor in your wine and beer decision. We are not those people. I don’t believe a customer’s payment of the lowest actual sum is the key factor in providing them value or satisfaction of purchase.

I know that budget is a concern for everyone at all price points. I’m not looking to turn a $6 wine buyer into a $16 wine buyer. But, I do want you to consider whether you’re satisfied with the money you are spending. I often hear, “I thought it was ok, especially since I only paid $5.”

Would you recommend that wine to your friend regardless of price? If your answer is no, then what about that experience makes it ok? What is the cost of your satisfaction?

$8 is the baseline of our wine inventory. I’ve tasted a lot of wine over the past five years and, with few exceptions, I’ve found it difficult to find wine that truly expresses the qaulity of a place or grape for less than that figure.

Authenticity. Wine is, perhaps, the most affordable window into the world that you can experience. The global winescape is both expanding and shrinking – we are now able to obtain more wine from more places at prices that become more and more afforable. Does that mean every bottle you find is true representation of what you hope to expect?

When we taste wine for the shelves and purchase wine for sale, we engage the winemakers responsible for the production of those wines and representatives who personally travel to those locations to taste the wine for themselves. We use our tasting  experience to provide you with authentic wine experiences – we choose our selection to convey those wines with the most value!

As I reach this point, I’m fearful opening too much to discussion. What I’m after is conversation and what I’m doing is introducing us anew. Check back next Friday for the next installment. And, of course, feel free to let me know what you think…

Fine rewards make travel light.

Cheers,

Matt

Time to put on your big boy pants. Brew Dog is, perhaps, the hottest brewery in the world right now, and I’m more then proud to announce this opportunity to speak and taste with co-founder James Watt this Saturday from 2 to 3ish.

Brew Dog has been challenging European brewing standards since its 2007 founding. Founders James Watt and Martin Dicke brew with the imagination and progressive touch that revolutionized the American micro brewing extreme beer scene. It seems fitting that they’ll be here to help us wrap up American Craft Beer Week.

Beg, borrow, or steal to be at Wine & Beer Westpark’s Free Brew Dog tasting this Saturday May 22nd 2-3ish

We’ll be tasting:
Punk IPA
Rip Tide
Chaos Theory
Tokyo
and beers I can’t even name…

Tactical Nuclear Penguin from BrewDog on Vimeo.

So you think you know Sam Adams? On Wednesday August 18th we’ll have Jim Koch Bob Cannon available to set the record straight, personally.

I’m picking up more details this week, but plan on joining us from 6-7 on Wed the 18th!

Expect the classics. We’ll be starting with Summer Ale and Boston Lager, so you can feel at home. Then it’s time to learn why Boston Beer Co. has endured for 25 years.

We’ll be pouring 5-6 beer and you will be surprised.

Trust in the Beer Theater – this is not the show to miss.

Cheers,
Matt