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- Winexpert welcomes Cabernet Franc to the family!
- Sale wines for November and December for Retail customers
- Limited Edition wines coming soon
- Itailian Amarone moves to a new brand and size!
- Festa Brew Czech Pilsner returns
- The last word...
WINEXPERT WELCOMES CABERNET FRANC TO THE FAMILY!
Selection Estate Washington Columbia Valley Cabernet Franc/Merlot
Retail Price $148.99
Fermented on Site -taxes included $192.39
Appellation: Columbia Valley, Washington, USA
Style: Washington state is home to more than 350 wineries producing 20 different varietals and is showing incredible growth, tripling in size over the past decade making it America’s second premium wine producing state. Columbia Valley encompasses an area of 18,000 square miles with its borders reaching Canada to the north, Oregon to the South and Idaho to the East.Selection Estate Washington Columbia Valley Cabernet Franc/Merlot is a classic Meritage blend of the Bordeaux varieties Merlot, Cab Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Cab Franc, a typical blending wine for Bordeaux styles, lends itself well to the firm structure of Cabernet Sauvignon while the dark fruit of Merlot helps to create a masterpiece which is an enjoyable red that can be savoured at any occasion. The nose of this wine holds an intense aroma of plum, black cherries and vanilla with an underlying hint of pepper and spice. Fruit flavours of plum and currants blended with the silky-smooth taste of chocolate and firm tannins give this medium-full bodied wine a pleasant finish, leaving you wanting more.
Body: Medium-Full.
Harvest Conditions: pH 3.50, Brix 23.0, TA 5.80 g/L.
Similar Styles: Estate Lodi Ranch 11 Cabernet Sauvignon, Estate Napa Valley Stag’s Leap District Merlot.
Food Pairings: Goes well with meat stews and beef roasts.
Sweetness Code: Dry (0).
Alcohol: 12.5% – 13%.
Oak: 60 grams French & 60 grams of Toasted, Heavy.
Ageing: The rich flavours will continue to develop with two years of ageing.
Selection Original Cabernet Franc
Retail Price $112.99
Fermented on Site - tax included $156.39
Cabernet Franc, one of the five major grape varieties of Bordeaux, has been producing high quality wines since the 18th century. Interestingly, it’s the parent and step-parent to Cabernet Sauvignon, because Sauvignon Blanc is a white Cabernet Franc mutant, and when re-crossed with Cabernet Franc, it produced Cabernet Sauvignon. Although they can seem very similar, the differences between Franc and Sauvignon are readily apparent when grown in close proximity.
Cabernet Franc vines bear thinner-skinned, earlier-ripening grapes with lower overall acidity than Cabernet Sauvignon. Yields are similar, although Cabernet Franc normally buds and ripens somewhat earlier. Consequently vineyards, in climates where rain is a harvest-time threat, often plant this grape in place of or in addition to Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet Franc vines survive cold winters better than Cabernet Sauvignon but are more susceptible to being damaged by Spring frosts. France has the most Cabernet Franc plantings of any wine producing nation with over 35,000 acres. There are signifi cant plantings of Cabernet Franc in St. Emilion, the Loire Valley (where it is known as Breton), and south west France (a . k . a . Bouchy). There are Cabernet Franc vineyards in Romania, Hungary, the Balkans, and the Friuli region of north eastern Italy. New plantings in the 1990’s in Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina show promise. In the United States, Cabernet Franc is planted in New York, California and Washington State.
Depending on terroir and vineyard practices, the fl avour profi le of Cabernet Franc is fruitier and sometimes more herbal than Cabernet Sauvignon. Typically somewhat spicy in aroma and often reminiscent of plums and especially violets, Cabernet Franc is more often used in varietally-blended red wines, such as Bordeaux or Meritage, although it is excellent as a stand-alone varietal.
Winexpert’s Selection Cabernet Franc has ruby colour, lush, ripe flavours of blueberries and raspberries, framed by elegant oak, vanilla, tobacco and fine leather notes. The tannins are smooth and voluptuous, allowing this well-balanced wine to age quite well.
Similar Styles: Cabernet Sauvignon, Aust.Cab Shiraz
Alcohol: 11.5% – 12%
Sweetness: Dry (0)
Body: Medium
Oak: Heavy – 60g Toasted, 60g Regular
Selection Speciale Cabernet Franc Icewine Style
Retail Price $84.99
Fermented on Site - tax included $127.39
Style: The discovery of Icewine was accidental. Producers in Franconia, Germany made virtue of necessity by pressing juice from frozen grapes in 1794. They were amazed by the high sugar concentration. It was not until the mid 1800’s that Ice wine was intentionally made by the winery. This occurred in the Rheingau.
Winexpert’s Selection Speciale Cabernet Franc Red Icewine Style is an intensely flavourful example. The hallmark of great Icewine is a dynamic balance between sweetness and acidity. Because of the naturally high acid, the finish is crisp and bracing, despite the intense sweetness. Cabernet Franc vines bear thinner-skinned, earlier-ripening grapes with lower overall acidity, when compared to Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet Franc vines survive cold winters better than Cabernet Sauvignon, but are more susceptible to being damaged by Spring frosts.
Sweet and rich, almost syrupy in texture, with rose and salmon tints, Cabernet Franc Icewine entices with irresistible aromas and fl avours: ripe currants, notes of spice, honey, strawberry, tart rhubarb and cranberry. Icewine shows best when it is chilled but not cold. The ideal temperature is 10-12 degrees Celsius.
Similar Styles: Selection Speciale Icewine Style
Food Pairings: Renowned as a “dessert in a glass” it is ideal on its own or is excellent paired with a red fruit dessert, dark chocolate or a decadent triple chocolate fudge cake.
Sweetness Code: Sweet
Alcohol by Volume: 11-11.5%
Oak: None
Ageing: The intensity of flavour makes this wine immediately appealing, but under good conditions it will age nicely for one to two years, but it’s best consumed fresh and snappy.
ITALIAN AMARONE MOVES TO A NEW BRAND AND SIZE!
Retail Price $131.99
Fermented on Site - tax included $175.39
Due to popular demand, we have moved Italian Amarone to Selection International Series and in a 15 litre format.
Style: Few wines are as bold as Amarone. Made in the Veneto region of Northern Italy, this specialty wine is produced alongside Valpolicella, a usually medium bodied blend of Corvina, Molinara and Rondinella grapes. Italian Amarone takes the same raw materials and makes them into a treasured, powerful red table wine. The finest Amarone grapes come from bunches that have two well spaced clusters sticking out to allow the sun to ripen the whole bunch evenly.The secret lies in fragrant, perfectly ripe grapes and how they’re treated. During the harvest a portion of the grapes are diverted from the crusher and set aside to dry on straw mats, eventually turning into extremely sweet raisins. When they’re added to the fermenting wine, they explode into new activity, driving the alcohol content up and increasing the colour, flavour and aroma to dizzying heights from the extra skin material.
Winexpert Selection International Italian Amarone is a very intense and complex wine, with a wide array of flavours and aromas. Deep ruby red, this heavyweight wine exudes aromas of sour cherries, dark chocolate, stewed plums, dried fruits, anise, raisins, bitter almond, tobacco, leather and molasses, and has a spicy-earthy bittersweet finish that lengthens on indefinitely from the huge volume of tannins. Delightful with food, Italian Amarone is often enjoyed by itself, sipped outside of mealtimes with good conversation and good friends.
Similar Styles: Selection Estate Series Crushendo Corvina Classico di Veneto
Food pairings: Intensely flavoured roasts, game and grilled meats, pasta with rich meat sauce, osso buco, or chunks of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese—or perhaps a fine cigar!
Sweetness code: 1 (slightly off-dry, although this is offset by the tannic finish of the wine).
Alcohol by Volume: 15.0%.
Oak: 60 grams Hungarian.
Ageing: While the intense fruitiness combines with powerful tannins to make this appealing to drink right away, only after a year of age will the heady perfume of dried fruits and spiciness come out. After two years it will begin to develop the pungent, earthy richness so prized by collectors of fine Italian wine.
LIMITED EDITION 2006 IS HERE!
Each year, from January through April, Winexpert releases limited quantities of five very special varieties, giving you the opportunity to create unique wines of great distinction and character.
Now in its 17th year, Selection Limited Edition Series continues to be a highly sought after offering. In fact, wines made from Selection Limited Edition Series have received numerous awards at winemaking competitions throughout North America.
Using a combination of 100% pure varietal grape juice and premium grape concentrates, Selection Limited Edition yields wines possessing superior flavour, aroma, and complexity.
Due to their immense popularity, reserving your Selection Limited Edition order with your Winexpert Authorized Retailer is strongly advised as each variety is only available during their month of release. To finish off your bottles in style, a package of 30 specially designed, Limited Edition bottle labels are included with each purchase. Selection Limited Edition wines have established a well-deserved reputation for delivering unsurpassed quality year after year. To reserve your Selection Limited Edition wine kits, please use the order form included in this brochure and return it to The Brewers Wort, your Winexpert Authorized Retailer by December 12, 2006.
Your retailer will notify you as soon as your reserved wine kit arrives in store. Don’t miss out on your chance to enjoy these five exclusive varieties! Make This Your Vintage Year, Make Wine with Selection Limited Edition Series by Winexpert.
Introducing this year’s exclusive varieties!
January
SOUTH AFRICAN SHIRAZ (Shuh-razz)
Stellenbosch is South Africa’s oldest growing region, the centre for study of viticulture and oenology in Africa, and the heart of the wine industry. Famous for its stunning natural beauty, it has soaring mountains, forests, vineyards, olive groves and veldts. South Africa’s finest red wines thrive in the Cape’s moderate climate, and the Shiraz from this region is dense with jammy richness, intense fruit, and complex spiciness, including pepper, plums, red fruit aromas, and abundant tannins that blend wonderfully with barbecue, grilled red meat, and stews, where the robust character shines. This medium/full bodied wine almost begs for early drinking, with spice and rich fruit, but the bold tannins and rich jamminess (typical of Shiraz) will require six months to a year to develop, and it will improve gracefully for three to four years, or even longer. Sweetness Code: 0.
January
AUSTRALIAN VERDELHO (Vurr-dale-o)
Mularoo Creek is a stunning region of South Australia’s Murray River. Featuring long open plains and sloping hillsides it has only been planted in grapes since 1960, a clean slate allowed growers to plant only premium grape varieties, only in the best areas. Originally from Portugal where it makes the sweet Madeira and White Port, in Australia it is an increasingly important variety, challenging Sauvignon Blanc as the number-two wine (after Chardonnay) Verdelho shows pink grapefruit, mineral, floral, green apple and pear notes, but never forgets it was made from ripe, sweet grapes. A wonderful antidote to heavy, oaky Chardonnay it matches with Thai green curry, Butter Chicken, scallops or king crab. Crisp, fresh and bright when young, it will develop floral/mineral aromas after six months, and deepen in flavour for one to two years. Sweetness Code: 0.
February
AUSTRALIAN GRENACHE / MOURVEDRE (Gren-ash Moo-vedd)
Overland Corner, on Australia’s Murray River, is made up of long open plains and sloping hillsides. With beautiful vineyards and ultra-high quality grapes, it’s hard to believe the vineyard development has come about only since 1960. A classic blend from France, Grenache produces ripe purple fruit with dense, lush aromas of black cherry, jam, pepper and liquorice. Mourvèdre, deep blue and thick-skinned, has high sugar, acidity, colour and tannin, and dense structure, working especially well with Grenache’s lush fruit, for a blend of length, power, and fruitiness and above all, balanced intensity of flavour. With strong flavours and aromas of black fruit and bold tannins, this wine will develop impressive finesse and complexity after a year in bottle, improving for three to five more, and will pair wonderfully with ribs, filet mignon, and lamb chops. Sweetness Code: 0.
March
GERMAN GEWURZTRAMINER (Guh-wurts-tra-meaner)
With its steep slopes and mineral rich soils, Germany’s Mosel Valley produces some of the world’s finest cool-climate white wines. Low yields and hand cultivation ensure intense, richly aromatic grapes. Gewürztraminer originated from an ancient grape found in Termeno, a village in northern Italy. German vineyards yielded opulently aromatic grapes, tinged with rosy pink that the winemakers christened ‘gewurz’, which translates to ‘perfumed’. And Winexpert’s Mosel Valley Gewürztraminer is a medium bodied wine, redolent with heady perfume and the aromatic fragrance of lichee, tropical fruit & rose petals.Finishing off-dry, its flavours are ample, lusciously fruity and spicy rather than complex. Tempting right away, the deeper floral characters develop further after six months to a year. Matching well with spicy food such as Thai or Szechuan cuisine, strong cheeses and fresh fruits, it also drinks well all by itself. Sweetness Code: 1.
April
SPANISH TEMPRANILLO/CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Spain’s La Mancha is Europe’s largest denominated wine region. Named from the Moorish word ‘Manxa’, which means ‘parched earth’, the dry growing conditions ensure healthy vines and low yields, producing intensely flavoured, extremely ripe grapes. Thick skinned, and blue-black, Tempranillo is high in colour and extract but low in acidity. Foundation of the great reds of Rioja, it produces dark lush wines with black cherry, raspberry, and currant aromas, and notes of plum and tobacco. Cabernet Sauvignon adds blackcurrant and blackberry notes along with firm structure. This wine matches well with roast turkey, game birds, stews and aged cheese. This wine can be consumed under six months of age, but the black cherry/blackcurrant and plum notes take at least six months to show, and will be best after one to two years. Sweetnes Code: 0.
Sale wines for November ...
The sale wines for November in the Vintner's Reserve line are Riesling for $56.99, and White Zinfandel for $63.99. In the Chai Maison line, the sale wines are Chardonnay for $464.99, and Barolo for $48.99. Finally, in the World Vineyard Collection line, the sale wine is Chilean Merlot for $72.99Festa Brew Czech Pilsner makes its return
Our rendition of the original, historic pilsner is full of malt and Saaz hops. All-European malts are used and each box will be packed with Fermentis' Saflager S-23 - the only dehydrated yeast I'm aware of that actually ferments at lager temperatures like a liquid culture.
B JCP Style Guidelines for Czech (Bohemian) Pilsner:
Aroma: Rich with complex malt and a spicy, floral Saaz hop bouquet. Some diacetyl is acceptable, but need not be present. Otherwise clean, with no fruity esters.
Appearance: Very pale gold to deep burnished gold, brilliant to very clear, with a dense, long-lasting, creamy white head.
Flavour: Rich, complex maltiness combined with a pronounced yet soft and rounded bitterness and flavour from Saaz hops. Some diacetyl is acceptable, but need not be present. Bitterness is prominent but never harsh, and does not linger. The aftertaste is balanced between malt and hops. Clean, no fruity esters.
Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied (although diacetyl, if present, may make it seem medium-full), medium carbonation.
Overall Impression: Crisp, complex and well-rounded yet refreshing.
History: First brewed in 1842, this style was the original clear, light-coloured beer.
Commercial Examples: Pilsner Urquell, Budweiser Budvar (Czechvar), Czech Rebel, Staropramen, Gambrinus Pilsner
Festa Brew Czech Pilsner Data:
Original Gravity: 1.048-1.050
Final Gravity: 1.010-1.013
Alcohol: 4.6%-5.2% ABV
Bitterness: 45 IBU
Colour: 5.2 SRM
Yeast: Fermentis Saflager S-23
We hope the year has been good to you all so far, and you have a safe and enjoyable Christmas. We hope to see you at our store at 8-140 Terminal Ave in beautiful Downtown Nanaimo. Lots of parking on site in front of the store. See you soon again in your inbox.
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© The Brewers Wort 2006
www.thebrewerswort.com