Colony Wine Market

Strawberry / Basil Lemonade

scott — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:15:20 +0000

For a refreshing, summer cocktail try this on for size.

Strawberry / Basil Lemonade

1 1/2 oz vodka

1 oz fresh strawberries

4 oz lemonade

1 tsp pure cane sugar

Fresh Basil

Muddle berries, sugar and a leaf of basil in vodka. Shake over ice and strain into a glass of ice. Fill with lemonade. Garnish with a sprig of fresh basil.

Morris Tasting

scott — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 16:37:24 +0000

Had a great time at the Morris’ home last evening around the fire! Wasn’t that exciting? Here’s what we tasted:

Montsarra Cava, Brut, Penendes $15.49

Acrobat Pinot Gris, Oregon $13.99

Lobster Reef Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough $12.79

Isabel Pinot Noir, Marlborough $23.79

Guigal Cotes-du-Rhone $16.99

Cellar Malondro “Latria” Garnacha/Carignane, Montsant $17.99

Cusumano Nero d’Avola, Sicily $15.49

Altivo Malbec, Mendoza $15.99

Cheeses: Grand Camembert, 6-month aged Manchego, 1000 day aged Gouda

Honeybubbles

scott — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 19:11:49 +0000

This is my own creation that will debut tonight as Cathead Distillery launches their new and delicious Honeysuckle Vodka in the courtyard! I’ve shaken a bunch of cocktails with their new libation and this one is one of my favorites. It goes like this:

1 3/4 ounces of chilled Cathead Honeysuckle Vodka

Pour into a Champagne flute and top off with Secco Italian Bubbles

Garnish with a honeysuckle blossom when in season

Grilled Pork and Pinot Noir

scott — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 23:18:59 +0000

Obviously, I love pairing wine with food. I have done it professionally for more than fifteen years now. When I’m at home I get just as much satisfaction, okay maybe more, at pairing wine with dinner for Shannon and I. There are some really classic pairings that are just sublime, over-the-top good.

One of those is Pinot Noir with grilled pork. The salty flavorful pork when finished with char and woodsmoke is taken to another level with the bright cherry, mushroomy, and smokey flavors of a good Pinot Noir. Pork is one of those dishes with which you can pair a hearty white wine like Chardonnay or a lighter, more delicate red wine like Pinot Noir. But with grilled pork, it really should be Pinot Noir.

Try this: Buy some inch and a half thick, bone-in pork chops and season them with kosher salt, cracked black pepper, and a pinch of good paprika. Grill them to medium (usually about 4 minutes each side) and set them aside to rest for about 7-8 minutes before cutting in to them (always do this for meats so they don’t bleed all the juice out as soon as you cut into them). Serve with your favorite sides. With pork, I like sweet potatoes, black-eyed peas, squash, onions, mushrooms, or carrots to name a few.

Now, all you need is a really good Pinot Noir. Try one of these below or any of the 120 something different Pinot Noir bottlings we have in the shop right now and enjoy:

Castle Rock, Mendocino $13.79

Pedroncelli, Russian River $17.99

Loring, Central Coast $24.99

Talley, Arroyo Grande $33.99

Domaine Serene, Evenstadt Reserve $59.99

Sante South, that’s what!

scott — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 22:03:51 +0000

Saturday, April 14th at The South area wine lovers will again be treated to hundreds of fine wines from the world over. This is the eighth year the event has been held here after spending its first two years in Hattiesburg. Sante South, benefitting the Alzheimer’s Association of Mississippi, is truly one of the best wine festivals in America. What makes it unique is that you can meet and visit with many vintners and winemakers who have come to Jackson to show their wines. Our little wine festival gets more vintners / winemakers and has much better wine selections than either Sandestin’s or New Orleans’ events.

Sante South will also feature a silent auction replete with rare wines, exclusive tastings, wine country packages, and more! In addition, most of the state’s top restaurants will be offering selected fare for enjoying with the wines. Tickets are $80 for the Grand Tasting and $125 for the VIP Tasting and can be purchased by visiting http://santesouth.com/or by calling 601-987-0020.

This year’s participants can be found by visiting http://santesouth.com/wineries. And as usual, Colony Wine Market will have for sale all the wines shown at Sante South.

St. Anthony’s Tastin’ Grace

scott — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 22:05:43 +0000

Inside at the Bar:

Backhouse Cabernet 2009 $7.99

Backhouse Pinot Noir 2010 $7.99

Backhouse Pinot Grigio 2010 $7.99

Outside on the Patio:

Altivo Torrontes 2010 $11.79

HD Riesling 2008 $11.99

Vina Borgia Garnacha 2010 $9.49

Reunion Winter Tasting

scott — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 00:52:56 +0000

Okay, I know, it doesn’t feel like winter out there. But, since we didn’t do a winter tasting and we haven’t reached the spring equinox yet, this is the winter tasting. The theme is a tour of France on a budget. Here’s what we tasted:

La Vielle Ferme Blanc, Cote-du-Luberon $9.99

Alexander Sirech “Le Deux Terroirs” Blanc $17.99

Domaine Coudoulis Rose’, Lirac $14.99

Roux Pere et Fils Bourgogne Rouge $16.99

Guigal Cotes-du-Rhone $16.99

Clos la Coutale Cahors $17.79

Haut Nadeau Bordeaux Rouge $21.99

Char Wine Dinner

scott — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 21:16:20 +0000

Wow! The food last night was absolutely delicious and the pairings were spot on! Great job by the Char folks. Here’s what we tasted last night all of which are available at our shop:

Secco Italian Bubbles, Italy $14.99

Marques de Caceres “Deusa Nai” Albarino, Rias Baixas $18.99

Melville Chardonnay, Sta. Rita Hills $27.99

Sivas-Sonoma Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast $20.99

Felino Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendoza $20.99

Warre’s “Otima” Tawny Port, 10 Year, Portugal $28.99

Bastille French Whisky

scott — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 00:18:06 +0000

Bastille is a hand-crafted French Whisky distilled by Master Distiller Jean-Marc Daucourt. Made of primarily barley and small amounts of wheat, this whiskey is produced in the southwest of France (near Cognac) where it is filtered through Grande Champagne Limestone. The whiskey is matured in a combination of French Oak, Cherry, and Acacia wood casks giving it a very unique flavor, unlike any I’ve had the chance to taste. Coming in right at $30, this whisky is a must buy for the whisky enthusiast.

On the nose, Bastille gives off a light floral aspect, and a fruity presence that immediately emerges from the glass. Accompanying the floral aromas is a subtle Highland Scotch scent. On the palate, dried apricots and peach cobbler dominate with a hint of peppery spice. Immediately after, you’ll experience a malty taste, followed by the floral fruity aspects you previously noticed.

With its light-medium body, this whisky would be best served neat. Any water or ice would dilute too much of the flavor, and leave the whisky lacking complexity.

Sparkling Wine and Cheese

scott — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 21:11:06 +0000

I have two rules for hosting a dinner party: (1) invite someone who can serve as your sous chef (thank you Sara) and (2) have some good sparkling wine and cheese on hand to get things started. Sparkling wine (a wine style that includes Champagne among others) is often times overlooked by most Americans as a regular wine choice. For some reason, too many people think of it as primarily a special occasion wine or perhaps as a conduit for better enjoying orange juice at breakfast.

But, a good sparkling wine is just festive enough to get everyone in the right frame of mind upon arriving and happens to be quite versatile with hors d’oeuvres. However, because my dinner party window is a bit narrow with a small business and two small kids, I will oftentimes opt for a good, soft, aromatic Old World cheese to enjoy with the wine rather than trying to create the perfect canapé.

When picking out a sparkler remember that all Champagne is sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wine is Champagne. Champagne is a region in Northern France where the best and most expensive sparkling wine in the world is produced by a specific method. The French call it methode champenois. All over the world you will find various other methods and styles of production, some of which mimic the Champagne style only at a lower price.

We’ve got around 75 different sparkling wines in the shop everyday from all over the world, in all types of different styles and prices. Check out a few of these below and when you stop by the shop, ask us to pair up a cheese from Kroger next door. They have a really great cheese section!

Montsarra Cava, Brut, Penedes $15.49

Le Colture Prosecco, Brut, Valdobiadenne $17.99

Gloria Ferrer Royal Cuvee, Brut, Carneros $26.79

Chevalier Fabre, Brut, Champagne $36.79

Duval Leroy Rosé, Brut, Champagne $55.79

Barnaut Grand Reserve, Brut, Champagne $60.99

Salon “Le Mesnil” Blanc de Blanc, Brut, Champagne, 1997 $364.99