This week we are tasting two new Spanish wines.

Monte Oton 2006  is a Garnacha from Campo de Borja, a sub-region of the Aragon region of Spain. The grapes are grown on the slopes of the extinct volcano, Moncayo. It is a nicely balanced, highly drinkable red, with hints of cherry and currant. This is an un-oaked wine with an easy fruit structure and a long complex finish.

Luzon Verde Jumila 2007 is a medium-bodied red wine from Spain’s Mediterranean coast. It made from 100% organically grown  Monastrell grapes. This is a very earthy wine with aromas of violets, blueberries, cherries and warm spices. There is a delightful balance of acidity and sweetness and it has a finish that hints of smoky chocolate.

This Olympic season has been an exciting one. For the last weekend of The Games , celebrate with an Olympic Gold Cocktail. It’s easy to make and is sure crowd pleaser.

Olympic Gold Cocktail
Serves 1

3/4 ounce brandy
3/4 ounce orange juice
3/4 ounce triple sec

Shake with ice in a cocktail shaker and serve in a martini glass.

This week we will be tasting two wines from the Monkey Bay winery in New Zealand.

Monkey Bay Chardonnay has a rich, creamy texture balanced by lively acidity. Flavors of ripe grapefruit, melon and peach linger on the palate in a crisp, dry finish. There is ripe citrus and tropical fruit on the nose.

Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc received an 87 from wine spectator. This is a great wine for the warm weather. It’s a crisp and refreshing wine, with vibrant flavors of ripe citrus and tropical fruit. It has a bouquet of ripe grapefruit, kiwifruit and pineapple.
Check out Anniken’s blog for her opinion on this wine.

In case you‘re wondering,, there is a charming story behind the name Monkey Bay. You can read all about it on the website.

Hi Friends of Springhill!

I am afraid we still have some more hot weather in store. Therefore, it is best to have some white wine ready in the chiller.

How about :Monkey Bay Sauvignon blanc

Monkey Bay winery  is located in the  Marlborough valley near the southern coast of New Zealand. The cool climate there makes this wine full of tropical fruit flavor, with a hint of grapefrut on the finsih. Monkey Bay is a easy wine to enjoy with friends that like dry wine, as well as for those who prefer it on the sweeter side.

Beer Lovers Rejoice!  North Coast Brewery has finally made it to Arkansas..

There are eight great beers to choose from, and here they are with a little description and our price.

Blue Star Wheat Beer  6 pack $10.99

Choice American barley and wheat malts are combined with a blend of noble hops to create this light, fruity, refreshing beer.  Brewed in the style of American beer renaissance, Blue Star is unfiltered, the yeast adding a complex note to the flavor profile.  Rated 92 by the Beverage Testing Institute, Chicago.  ABV  4.5%

Red Seal Ale  6 pack $10.99 

Malt and hops are beautifully married in this full-bodied, copper-red Pale Ale.  Red Seal is generously hopped for a long, spicy finish.  An excellent accompaniment to grilled meats and rich sauces.  ABV  5.5%

Old No. 38 Stout  6 pack $10.99

Named for a retired California Western Railroad steam engine on the Fort Bragg to Willits run through the Redwoods, Old No. 38 Stout is a smooth firm-bodied stout with the toasted character and coffee notes of dark malts and roasted barley.  Rated 85 by the Beverage Testing Institute, Chicago.  ABV  5.5%

Brother Thelonious  750ML $7.99

Brewed by North Coast Brewing Company as a tribute to Jazz legend Thelonious Monk, this Belgian-style Abby Ale is rich and robust.  The package is a 750ML bottle with a traditional cork and wire finsih and features a label picturing the Jazz master himself, from a painting the Mendocino County artist, Eduardo Smissen.  ABV 9.3%

Le Merle  750ML $7.99

Le Merle is a rustic ale, pale in color, inspired by the rich brewing traditions of the Flanders region.  Abundant hops and a Belgian yeast strain contribute exotic aromas of tropical fruit.  The package is a 750ML bottle with a traditional cork and wire finish and features a blackbird drawn the Mendocino County artist Paulo Ferreira.  A very tastey Saison style beer, light and refreshing.  ABV 7.9%

Scrimshaw Ale  6 pack $10.99

Named for the delicate engravings popularized by the 19th century seafarers, Scrimshaw is a fresh-tasting Pilsner Style beer brewed in the finest European traditio using Munich malt and Hallertauer and Tettnang hops.  Scrimshaw has a subtle hop character, a crisp clean palate, and a dry finish.  ABV 4.4%

Pranqster  4 pack $8.99

Nelgian Ales represent the heightof the brewers’ art.  Sophisticated brewing techniques, yeast blends and unique flavoring elements have elevated the beers of Belgium to the status enjoyed by wine in other countries.  Pranqster follows in this tradition using a mixed culture of antique yeast strains that produce a floral nose, a full fruity flavor and a clean finish.  ABV 7.6%

Old Rasputin  4 pack $8.99

Produced in the tradition of 19th Century English brewers who supplied the court of Russia’s Catherine the Great, Old Rasputin seems to develop a cult following wherever it goes. It’s a rich, intense brew with big complex flavors and a warming finish.  ABV 9.00 %

A little side note, I have tried all of these beers and I can and do recommend them to the experienced beer drinker.  They are both complex and simple at the same time and very much worth the price to try at least once.  Good drinking guys nd Gals!

This is a great drink for hot weather. This drink is served at The Modern in New York.

Ingredients:
Ice
2 slices English cucumber, plus extra for garnish
1 lemon wedge
1 ½ oz citrus flavored vodka
½ oz fresh lemon juice
½ oz simple syrup (recipe follows)

Fill a glass with ice. Muddle the cucumber slices and the lemon wedge in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add the ice, vodka, lemon juice, and simple syrup   to the shaker and shake vigorously.  Strain into the glass and garnish with the extra cucumber.

Simple Syrup is…well, simple t make. Just add equal parts sugar and water to a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Stir the sugar until it’s dissolved. Remove it from the heat and allow it to cool. Pour it into a jar and keep it in the fridge. It will last a very long time if kept properly. It is always nice to have some on hand.

          In the Arkansas heat, the beverage of choice at mealtimes is often a large pitcher of iced tea. With gas prices at $4 dollars a gallon we are all trying to tighten our belts and cut out some of the “perks”. However, even at times like this, wine may be the best choice you and your family.

          The most obvious reason for drinking wine is the health benefits. Wine is known to be a natural blood thinner. It also aids in lowering cholesterol and reducing stress. There are dozens of healthful ingredients in wine that, taken in moderation, keep the body and mind strong, energetic, and disease-free. Click here to read more about the healthy benefits of wine.

           The advantages of drinking wine do not end with the body.  Most of today’s families are living a very full and fast-paced life style. With soccer games, homework, and overtime at the office, most of us barely have to time to sit down, much less make a home-cooked meal to sit and enjoy with the whole family. However, doing just this is one of the best things you can do for yourself, your marriage, and your family. Preparing a well-planned, home cooked meal can seem daunting, but the benefits far outweigh the alternative.  Wine, of course plays an integral role at the communal table. It not only enhances the taste of the food being served but it also enhances the spirit of love in a family. Wine can make all of your mealtimes memorable events, and these events can be the keystone of a strong family unit as well as create bonding memories for everyone involved.

            Some people mistakenly believe that the enjoyment of a good wine is only for those of “superior intelligence” or of a higher social standing. Insinuating that the average man can’t appreciate good wine with well-matched food is hooey! Wine is and always has been the beverage that warms the spirit of all men. Wine adds richness to life and fuels the passion for all of the important things life has to offer: love, art, music and friendship. These things, I say, are not for the few but for all men.

We will be serving this dish at our Napa Landing wine tasting August 6. Come by early because it is sure not to last long.

This is a delicious variation of the average pesto. It’s great for summer because it has a light clean taste that goes great with a chilled crisp white wine. You can toss this pesto with pasta or roasted potatoes or you can use it to garnish salmon or shrimp.

Ingredients:
1 (10 ounce package) frozen sweet peas, thawed
3 large garlic cloves
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary

Cook peas according to package directions. Rinse with water to cool. Add peas, garlic, pine nuts, salt, and cheese to bowl of food processor. Process until finely chopped. With motor running, add 1/4 cup olive oil and process until smooth. Stir in rosemary and set aside until needed.

This week will be tasting three California wines from Napa Landing Winery. We will be pairing these wines with a Sweet Pea Pesto.

Napa Landing Chardonnay:
Full bodied, with beautiful balance, this Napa
Valley Chardonnay with flavors of ripe peach,
pear, vanilla and crisp Myers lemon are perfectly
balanced leaving your palate with a clean, crisp
finish. One of Napa Valley’s best buys.

Napa Landing Cabernet:
A wonderful bargain, this Napa Valley Cab yields
rip plum and blackberry flavors with sage
accents, a broad mouth feel, soft tannin, and an
amazingly complex and lengthy finish. It’s worth
noting that the alcohol is a reasonable 13.5%,
keeping everything in balance.
Napa Landing Merlot:
A surprise tasting favorite, with pretty plum and
red berry flavors that are rich but not over the
top. With supple tannins and spicy anise accents.
So drinkable! Ready to drink now and over the
next year or two.

 With more and more people open to trying something “outside of the box” and with the expansion of the amount of products being imported into the market, Sake’s popularity has grown over the last few years. Here is a quick rundown about this ancient Japanese rice “wine”. We hope you enjoy it!

Sake is often referred to as a “rice wine”, but it is more closely related to beer in both how it is brewed and the ingredients that are used in making the product. After harvesting the rice, the first step in the sake-making process is the milling (or polishing) of the rice to remove the outer layer of the grain. This leaves behind only the starch. Generally, the more the rice grains are polished, the less amount of impurities are likely to be found in the finished product. This will typically lead to a better tasting, higher quality product. During fermentation, sake undergoes a multiple step process. First, the starch is converted to sugar with the aid of special enzymes. Then, the sugar is converted to alcohol by yeast.  

One of the most common questions about sake is about the serving temperature. It can be served hot, warm, or cold depending on both the drinker’s preference and the quality of the sake. Higher quality sakes are generally brewed to be consumed cold. Warming can destroy some of the naturally delicate flavors in some sakes, but in others, warming can contribute to its smoothness.

In an especially modern twist, some bartenders are making cocktails with the primary ingredient being sake. For example, the Saketini (a take on the suffix “-tini” from martini), which closely resembles a traditional martini, but sake replaces more than half the amount of gin or vodka that would normally be used. Some traditionalists in both American and Japanese culture have disapproved of the use of sake in this way, but as Hiroaki Aoki the founder of Benihana restaurants says, “if a cocktail made with sake is pleasing to the palate, why should tradition stand in the way of progress?” We couldn’t agree more.

Here are few sakes we carry at Springhill:

Sho Chiku Bai ($8.29) is Takara’s main brand of Sake. It is made in California and is the best-selling Sake in the United States. Its high quality and superior taste has made it a favorite.

Hakutsuru Sake ($11.39) is brewed in a traditional 250-year-old traditional technique and it is characterized by its well-matured, full-bodied taste and mellow reverberation.

Haiku Sake by Gekkiekan ($14.49) is made in California. Slow fermentation at low temperatures give this sake its dry flavor and light aroma reminiscent of orchard apples. It is best served chilled. 

Gekkeikan Silver ($13.19) has a dry crisp flavor and is best served chilled or at room temperature.

Horin Ultra Premium Junmai Daiginjo ($35.69) is definitely one of the best sakes out there. Using select rice polished to 50% of its original size, this ultra premium “junmai daiginjo” sake is slowly fermented at low temperatures to give it a refreshing fruit like aroma and mild flavor. Enjoy chilled or room temperature.