Wine Tasting Notes generator

Ever wonder how the wine bourgeoisie come up with their tasting notes?
So did I, but not anymore.

New Haven Restaurant Teasers

1. Miya's (68 Howe St. New Haven) will eventually offer Sakes, Plum Wines, and Infused Liquors created by evil-sushi-genius, Bun Lai. Stay tuned for an update, as we believe Bun is "tinkering" around with the recipes.

2. 116 Crown (116 Crown St. New Haven) is in the process of having their liquor license approved. I have gotten a sneak peek of their wine list -- I'll probably be moving in.
The wine list will feature affordable stars of many different wine styles. I've heard the menu will include Pommes Frites. Frites and Good Wine? F@$%ing Genius!

Bodegas Carrau Tannat de Reserva 2003

OK, so I have mentioned the Bodegas Carrau Tannat de Reserva 2003 ($) before, mostly as a cheaper alternative to the Tannat Amat. It also is the wine I've received the most feedback from, either by comment, e-mail, or stop-on-the-street.
I just opened another bottle tonight, after hearing many of the Colombian riders of the Tour de France train in Uruguay, and felt I needed to get y'all out there to get one (or two).
The Tannat Reserva is definitely a MUST BUY, and probably the first M/B at this price in a while.

Duckhorn Napa Merlot 2004

Duckhorn Napa Merlot 2004 ($$$) is, in the French tradition, 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. It was an early harvest, due to a natural growth of the "buds", not a forced harvest due to climate. The wine comes from a variety of Duckhorn-owned and independent vineyards, showcasing the diversity of the Napa Valley region.
The nose is of green olives, cooking herbs, and oak. Fruit dominates this wine -- blackberry and black cherry, while it is rounded out by clove and black pepper. The tannins add to a nice feel and give the wine a wonderful finish. The wine is Merlot-dry, but even a fan of fruitier wines will stick around for the finish.
This is a wine best paired with a drum roll and timpani.
Worth the extra scratch for a special occasion.

Podge Belgian Imperial Stout

I must admit that this review may be an exercise in futility, as only 120 bottles of Podge Belgian Imperial Stout ($) have made it into Connecticut. That said, if you find one of these little five dollar bottles, it is a MUST BUY. I found mine at Northeast Beverage in Killingly, CT, well over an hour's drive from New Haven. They have at least 3 left as of today, and possibly more in the back room, as I know they got 24 bottles of the CT allocation.

The beer, best poured into a brandy snifter or tulip shaped glass, pours a rich, black color with a nice tan, sticky head. It smelled of Chocolate, Vanilla, and Coffee, with a faint touch of Hops, which is an unusual smell in a Stout. The taste was of semi-sweet chocolate and dark coffee (not quite espresso), with quite a bit of sugar taste, much like the Mephistopholes by Avery.
The Belgians tend to add "candi sugar" to alot of their beers, this one is no different. There's also Pilsner Malt, 6 Special Malts, Challenger and Goldings Hops, and Irish Ale yeast.
It's produced by Alvinne, so if you see any of their stuff, give it a try as well.

Miya - Because Man cannot live on Sake alone

We checked the Elm City Wino MySpace page today, and added a new friend, Miya Sushi. Honestly, I had almost completely forgotten about Miya (68 Howe St., New Haven). Bad move for me, as Mo grew up with Miya, the namesake and sister of Bun Lai, the man behind the curtain. Miya has many, many, many different creative sushi options available (vegan-friendly), but more importantly, many different Sake options. A little Sake Bombing run may have to be organized in order to bring you the skinny on the New Haven Sake scene.
I also remember several different Plum Wines as well. It's been a while, but we'll have to get over there again, ugh, just for you.

Calimotxo!

Ah, Calimotxo.
I had believed it to be an abomination. Mixing 50% red wine and 50% Coca-cola. I wouldn't touch the stuff, that is, until ecWino staffer, Mo, made me some.
Mo had been doing a little research on her own, prompted by an article in Time Out New York. She had shown me the article, which suggested using Luzon Verde but had a bottle of Garnacha de Fuego in the picture. That error was enough for me to ignore the idea completely.
Mo tried the Luzon Verde and liked it, but knew I would scoff at the idea of using a decent, low-cost organic in a pseudo-mixed-drink. She tried the Garnacha del Fuego, the last bottle at ecWino HQ (and it's getting damn hard to find), and just didn't tell me about it. She tried it with Marques de Riscal, again knowing I would shudder at the waste of wine.
Then she poured it for me with Wrongo Dongo.

Wrongo Dongo is a food wine. Drink it on it's own, and it's so-so. Pair it with skirt steak or Italian tofu, and it's on fire. I tend to shy away from "food-wines", because, after all, who really wants to eat while they drink??? (50% sarcasm)
I had chalked this wine up to okay-wine-stupid-name, and left a few bottles on the shelf to rot away.

When Mo mixed this with Coca Cola, the whole thing came alive. No too sweet, only slightly carbonated, slightly chilled -- the perfect summer drink!

Calimotxo MUST be made with Coca Cola. It's not the same with Pepsi, Organo-farm, Diet Coke, Cola Spritzer, Sam's Club, HippieTime, any of that -- it's gotta be Coke.
50/50. Mix in a garbage bag for full effect (hey, it's the authentic way), or in a glass with a small cocktail stirrer (damn you, gringo).

Here's the bottle...

I stole the picture from Water Into Wino.
And here's the Wikipedia link... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calimotxo/Calimocho