Bartenders In Time

Top 10 Summertime Wines!

2008-05-19T18:25:00.004-05:00

Summertime is almost upon us here in the Ozarks and if you're like me at all you're thinking lake, lake and well what should I drink while I'm at the lake! Face it this is a beautiful time of the year and the best time to be outdoors enjoying the wonderful natural surroundings we have...but it's also a shifting time for us wine drinkers! Do I continue to enjoy the big, bold reds, even though the temperatures are rising? Or do I switch it up some and go lighter? What about if you fall in the "I don't like sweet wine" group? For all of those reasons I've put together my Top 10 Summertime Wines...now these are my taste, my perceptions and may not match up with yours but I'll bet they'll spark some discussion! Let me know your favorites...or why you think mine are horrible choices!:)

Summertime Wine TOP 10

10) Pinot Noir ~ Now you knew there had to be at least one red included...and go figure it's Pinot Noir! Seriously try the lighter bodied Pinot Noirs and chill them a slight bit, not too much but just enough to cut the edge off. I recommend 20 minutes in your household fridge prior to drinking. Now if you're at the lake...throw it in the cooler! For this selection I like the Firesteed Pinot Noir from Oregon, a very fruit forward style, simply delightful!

9) Gruner Veltliner ~ Austria's top produced wine, these wines are full of fruity aromas and display flavors of apple, lemon and lime, peaches and usually finish with a good length and nice acidity...making them the perfect pair for seafood! Not sweet though, just fruity....try the Huber Hugo Gruner Veltliner!

8) Sparkling Wine ~ Well if you're celebrating or just relaxing sometimes a nice glass of the bubbly will do the trick! Personally I like the fruity style sparklings with a nice fruit salad or anything very light and fresh! My personal choice this season is the Tobin James Dream Weaver from California...great fruity style!

7) Juicy Reds ~ You're probably saying "juicy reds"!? What about a nice blend of say Grenache/Garnacha, Cabernet, Merlot, Shiraz or Pinot Noir...in no particular order! These softer style blends are wonderful because they have depth but are so soft, easy drinking and oh so smooth! A couple picks...Thirsty Fish GSM, Mosby Lucca and Picada 15.

6) Moscato d'Asti ~ A wine most in Springfield know! These semi-sparklers are sweet, yet very refreshing on a hot summer day. Intense peach style fruits, followed by an easy drinking wine that is terrific! Try the Mionetto il Moscato...my favorite!

5) Zweigelt ~ I must be on some type of Austrian wine kick...no kick backs I promise! Zweigelt is Austria's most predominate red grape and is perfect for warmer weather, fairly light bodied with a light sense on spice in the finish! ZZ Top is the call here....Zantho Zweigelt.

4) Vinho Verde ~ Okay now we're into what I would consider my "tie" section...the next four are all great wines! Fresh, fruity and light is this wine in a nutshell...no need for food, just enjoy by itself! Arca Nova Vinho Verde

3) Chenin Blanc ~ You can find these from almost anywhere in the world, but my favs come from South Africa...fruity by nature, yet still dry in the finish. These wines aren't sweet yet still appeal to those "I don't like dry wines" type of person. Try the Ken Forrester Petit Chenin -- great value wine!

2) Rose ~ We're not talking "the other pink wine", these wines are delicious, fruity and dry! Power packed with red fruits such as strawberry, pomegranate and cherry on the nose, yet finishing with a fuller feel -- usually reminiscent of the varietal at hand. Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rose & Sofia Pinot Noir Rose are two great choices!

1) Sauvignon Blanc ~ A difficult call but when I think warm weather I automatically think Sauvignon Blanc...these wines are full of grapefruit, passion fruit and a sense of tartness yet have unique characteristics such as herbaceous characters (or grass). New Zealand makes the best, but don't look past South Africa, California and Chile. Redcliffe Sauvignon Blanc...simply put the best New Zealand value on the market!

Those are my "Top 10"...what are yours? Share with us...

Talk to you next time...until then "cheers"

It's been awhile...!

2008-05-02T13:14:00.004-05:00

Well I've successfully let the entire month of April go by without really posting any new blogs or exciting information! But I am here today to say May is a NEW beginning and you should expect to see some great postings in the common weeks!

The goal of the this "blog" in the first place is to create an avenue for wine lovers in the Ozarks (and really anywhere else) to come together and have a place to speak about wine, tell others of great new finds or wines that were hyped yet fell short of the hype! Having said all of that I have to say...I haven't followed through with that goal...but today is the beginning of something NEW! So each week look for a NEW blog posting with great "wine talk", whether it be about new wines, regions or just wine news in general. And I encourage you to share your thoughts, opinions and views on anything and everything I write about. After all this is a place to educate, share and talk about VINO!

So a quick little post on some of my current favorites wine-wise...and why they are! (And I must admit I'm getting into a "white phase" again, although several of my favs are red. Enjoy...tell me about your favorites!

Capestrano Montepulciano d'Abruzzo ~ Just a great everyday, all occasion wine! Beautiful aromas of black cherry, blueberry and plum go with a soft style that is oh so enjoyable! Pop the Cork today!

Spann Vineyards Betsy's Backacher Red ~ Now we've carried this wine for a little over a month now and I was super excited when we brought this wine in but I was told only a few cases remained...so I didn't push it. Well...things have changed....next month we've got wine grower Peter Spann coming to Vino 100! Watch for more details as we tell you more and more about the wonderful wines of Spann Vineyards!

Boom Boom Syrah ~ Okay yes the name is a little funny but the wine is amazing...trust me on this one! Charles Smith knows what he's doing!

Kanu Sauvignon Blanc ~ I'm a huge South African wine fan and an even bigger Sauvignon Blanc fan...so this wine is one of my all time favs! Nice attributes you'd expect from Sauvignon Blanc with a twist...a little bit of a zesty finish. Trust me this wine is perfect for that spring afternoon on the porch!.

Okay so there are some of my "favs"...what are yours? Talk to ya next week......

"Lip Lovin' Wines"

2008-03-10T18:15:00.002-05:00

Lip Lovin' Wines you ask? Yep that's right yet another fun holiday and reason to enjoy great wine! Lips Appreciation Day is officially celebrated on the 16th (a Sunday) so we're making a weekend of it with great "Lip Lovin' Wine" on sale Thursday thru Saturday!

Lip Lovin' Wines: wines that your lips love!

Share with us your stories of "what wines your lips love...and why"! Simply click "comment" below and share away...be sure and let us know who you are as a Vinturi Aerator will be given out to the most creative "Lip Lovin' Story"!

Cheers,
Matt

(I'll post my later tonight after I've had the opportunity to have a few glasses!)

MYOH...huh, what?

2008-03-03T15:39:00.002-06:00

MYOH...?! What exactly does this mean? Well we're all about having a good time so we're celebrating what is called "Make-up Your Own Holiday" day! A day to celebrate whatever it is you want...yes we said you...that is because you're going to decide what we celebrate at Vino 100!

Here's a breakdown of how things will work, first starting March 4th you can send in your nominations to us for whatever "holiday" you think we should celebrate. (email them to info@vino100springfield.com) These nominations will be taken until midnight on March 10th. Then starting March 11th we will do "live" voting here on "Springfield Wine Buzz! until midnight March 17th ...with the winner being announced March 18", the top 4 "themes" will be available to vote from. Wow, that's a lot all into one event...oh and I forgot the best part! The event will be held Thursday, March 27th starting at 6 pm. And I almost failed to mention...the winner receives a Vinturi Aerator!

Okay so now you know what's going on, but what do we really mean by "Make-up Your Own Holiday"? Well this can be anything; how about "anti-wine snob day" (we're never really snobs, so maybe not so good!) or "mother-in-law's in town day", "get out of the dog house day", "wines that pair with fast food!"...whatever it is let's celebrate and let's have some fun with it! (Hopefully your ideas our better than mine...after all that's why I'm leaving it to you!)

There's only a couple of rules to follow:

Must be able to include/incorporate wine
Must be tactful and tasteful (we like sexy and funny, just so as long as tasteful)
Must be FUN!

There you have it...MYOH...in a nutshell! Questions or comments? Let us know.

Cheers,
Matt

Wine = Fun, right?

2008-03-01T12:59:00.004-06:00

Wine should be fun, right?! Spending a majority of my time around wine, reading about wine and tasting different wines I have came to realize a reason a lot of people don't drink wine is because they are intimidated! Rightfully so with the use of descriptor words such as cat pee, grass, graphite, tobacco just to name a few. And then to add to that the "I'm too good" attitude that so often is out there...there is this stereotype out there that the more you spend the better or the better the "score" the wine received the better quality...drink what you like, that's the best wine! It's simply fermented grape juice, let those that want to be serious about do just that, let them be serious and not have any fun...! You (and I) on the other like to enjoy great wine (great based on my taste, not $) and have a good time doing so.

With that said I encourage everyone to try new wines, attend events with wine, drink wine with dinner or by itself...really begin to explore wine in a whole new light...make it a fun conversational beverage, not something that you feel you need to be dressed up to drink or enjoying with a "fine" dinner. Have fun, share and enjoy!

Having such a strong conviction to "have fun" with wine inspires me to do what I do each and everyday, always searching out fun new ways to bring people together for great fellowship and enjoy great wine. Something I feel we do very well at the store (Vino 100), I encourage you to share some of your special moments spent here at Vino 100 and maybe some friendships that have been formed while enjoying great wine! (simply click below to leave your comments)

Watch for a new posting in the next couple days detailing some wonderful new wine events...including an event that you get to choose!

Cheers,
Matt