Porron Glass Decanter

Porron....$15.99

"A porron is a traditional glass wine pitcher, typical of Catalonia but famous throughout Spain. It resembles a cross between a wine bottle and a watering can. The top of the bottle is narrow and can be sealed off with a cork. Stemming upwards from the bottom of the pitcher is a spout that gradually tapers off to a small opening. It is shaped such that the wine stored inside it will have minimal contact with the air, while being ready to be used at all times. The idea originated as a replacement to Bota Bags. Porrons are most commonly filled with regular wines, either white or red, but are also used to drink Cava, and a smaller version filled with dessert sweet wine are common in Catalan restaurants. The lack of contact with the lips allows to a group of people to share the same vessel without offending their hygiene sense." -- Wikipedia

George Orwell described a porron in Homage to Catalonia:

"…and drank out of a dreadful thing called a porron. A porron is a sort of glass bottle with a pointed spout from which a thin jet of wine spurts out whenever you tip it up; you can thus drink from a distance, without touching it with your lips, and it can be passed from hand to hand. I went on strike and demanded a drinking-cup as soon as I saw a porron in use. To my eye the things were altogether too like bed-bottles, especially when they were filled with white wine." -- George Orwell

Check out more info:
http://www.demaisonselections.com/porrons.html

Meet winemaker ADAM SBRAGIA

Very special wine tasting!
Invite your friends - forward this post.
(click on the enevelope at the bottom of this post)

Thursday, May 22, 2008 -- 5:30pm-7:00pm


The Wine and Cheese Place
7435 Forsyth in Clayton -- 314-727-8788


Meet Adam Sbragia, winemaker and owner of Sbragia Family Vineyards

We are scheduled to taste:

Sauvignon Blanc..$17.99
Chardonnay Home...$23.99
Chardonnay Gamble...$37.99
Zinfandel Gino's..$24.99
Merlot Home...$23.99
Cabernet Andolsen...$32.99
Cabernet Monte Rosso...$45.99
Cabernet Rancho del Oso...$69.99

Birreria Baladan

Xyauyu....$37.99 / pint
Vintage Barley Wine


(one of the most expensive beers you will find)


"Teo Musso produces three versions Gold, Silver & Copper label which differ from each other in terms of degree of oxidation allowed and fruity perfumery aromas created. We will release on March 1 the "copper version" {the least oxidated}. Our Xyauyu was brewed in 2004 and bottled in September 2006.Brewed in 2004 - bottled in September 2006.Brewing process:Primary fermentation for 25 days The maturation/aging follows the Method Solera ["adjusted by Teo"], wich was developed centuries ago by the Spanish and Portuguese to perfect the aging of their sherry and port.Teo's Method Solera:Teo’s objective is to allow Xyauyu to perfectly oxidize during the aging proces of 2.5 years {oxidation plays a critical role in aging port, sherry, as well as our vintage beers - too much oxidation will ruin the liquid - too little will not optimize the change in flavor / aroma during the aging process} .Here’s how Teo's system works: Xyauyu is transfered to a steel vessel with transparent membrane and a "oxygen hat". After several tastings during the 2.5 year aging process Teo decides when it's time to bottle (it all depends upon the oxidation velocity).

Vinous, similar to an exceptional vintage port. Very sweet, reminiscent of Marssala, and definitely again mild chocolate notes. Hints of oranges, preserved in brandy, sucaded fruit, slowly oxydized and exotic spices seasoned. Viscous to syrupy, explosion of body & flavours at each sip, indestructible." -- Importer

www.buintedint.com

Brouwerij Strubbe

Ichtegems Grand Cru

Malts - pilsner malt at 4 EBC - munich malt - caramel malt

Hops:- 2 year old belgian hops of Poperinge- Kent Golding England- Styrian hops- Saaz Zatec at the end of boiling for Aroma

The final IBU of the base beer is calculated to be around 19 IBU.

Maturation: For two years in wooden casks {from the Bordeaux wine area in France) .

Gosebrauerei Bayrischer Bahnhof

Leipziger Gose...$16.99 / 750ml
(in traditional bottle, see picture -->)
"Gose is traditionally bottled in a flattish, near semicircular bottle, with a tall, narrow neck. The neck was designed to trap the foam of fementation and thus produce a natural bung. Gose is incredibly difficult to find, unless you visit Leipzig or Goslar." -- The German Beer Guide



"Leipziger Gose actually originated in the smallish town of Goslar {state of Lower Saxony , Germany}. Leipziger Gose was already first mentioned around 1000 AD under Emperor Otto III. Like many other beerstyles {such as English Imperial Stouts and German Bock biers} the Goslar breweries of Leipziger Gose had to look elsewhere for a bigger market. They found those in the trade towns of Halle and Leipzig, about 100 miles East, where Leipziger Gose appeared around 1738 for the first time. By 1900 Leipzig boasted over 80 Gose houses.The spread of the bottom-fermenting pilsner style as well as economic decline of East Germany under communist regime contributed to the demise of the Leipziger Gose which was last brewed in the mid 1960s.On July 20, 2000 Thomas Schneider {no relations to the Schneider Wheatbeer brewery in Kelheim, Germany} revived the brewing of the Original Leipziger Gose in the famous “Bayerische Bahnhof” in Leipzig. Leipziger Gose is a top-fermenting wheat beer {60% wheat, 40% barley malt} with coriander, salt, and lactic acid bacteria added in the boil. It is a 4.5% alc/vol eclectic beer whose name evokes a close relationship to the renowned Lambic/Geuze breweries in the Valley Senne nearby Brussels, Belgium." -- importer

http://www.gose.de/english/willkommen/

Jayson Red wine released!

Pahlmeyer "Jayson" Red Wine...$53.99
This is the "second" label from Pahlmeyer. The wine is an amazing bargain compared to its big brother. At less than half the price, this wine delivers a ton of complexity and flavor. Very limited availability. Call for info.

Composition: 73% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 1.5% Petit Verdot, .5% Malbec

Tasting Notes: The 2005 Jayson Red, offering toasty oak, tobacco, tar, graphite and earthy notes blend with spice, cherry, red berry, and dark fruit flavors in this vibrant, complex wine. This integrated, balanced wine ends with a finish that is long and persistent.

Winemaking Notes: The 2005 Jayson Red is a "declassification" of the wine originally intended for the Merlot and the Proprietary Red. We do not grow or seek out fruit in order to produce wine for the Jayson label. The 2005 Jayson Red was harvested and vinified in the same manner as the Proprietary Red and the Merlot; the whole berry fruit was from hand picked lots and fermented in short, open-topped stainless steel tanks and cold soaked, using native yeasts. The wine then finished fermentation in 80% new French oak barrels and was bottled neither fined nor filtered.

Notes from
www.pahlmeyer.com