Hi Everyone,

Hope you had an enjoyable weekend. Thanks to all for coming to the wine tasting on Thursday and Saturday. We had lots of fun and ran out of bread on Thursday! Thankfully not wine. 

We will be tasting 3 wines this Thursday - KWV Steen, So. Africa  - Pale straw in color with a fruit filled bouquet full of sweet apricot, peach, apple and pears. Steen (meaning Chenin Blanc) is surprisingly dry for as sweet as it smells. It has some nice acidity and a lingering finish. (12.99).

Rutz Cellars Pinot Noir – Russian River Valley - Ruby red in color with aromas of floral herbs, fig and black cherry. Flavors of current, black cherry, plum and raspberry with a satisfying finish. (21.99).  

Rosenblum Desiree Chocolate Dessert Wine - An elegant blend of 2 native ports and a zinfandel, infused with chocolate. Great after dinner drink or enjoy it over ice cream. This was our wine of the month for February (18.99).  

New Wines This Week at Bella Vino -

Protos Roble - From Spain – Made from the Tempranillo grape it is fresh and fruity, with rich red fruit flavors and pleasing soft tannins. (17.99). 

EOS - Zinfandel from Paso Robles, California – Made with a little bit of Petite Sirah – smooth red with nice textures on the palate. (17.99).

Lange  - Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon – Beautiful wine for everyday enjoyment. (22.99).

Our wine tasting on Thursday is from 4:30 to 7:00. 

Until then – Cheers!

Paula 

Hi Everyone and Happy Almost Spring,

Thursday will mark the official first day of Spring. It WILL eventually warm up but until then I am planning 2 wine tasting’s this week. For Thursday’s wine tasting (and the official first day of Spring) Steve Fortune from F & F Imports will be pouring 4 wines from his portfolio. I will also have an extra “bring-on-spring” wine tasting on Saturday from 2:00 to 5:00. If you’re looking for some Easter Chocolates, I have chocolate bunnies, eggs, ducks and chocolate covered Oreo’s from Ava Marie Chocolates. They are delicious and made in New Hampshire – and don’t forget our made in New Hampshire breads – fresh every Thursday afternoon.

The 4 wines we will be tasting this Thursday - Tremani Pinot Gris  - From Russian River Valley, Sonoma County – A rich, crisp, fruit-forward wine – 80% of Tremani Pinot Gris grapes were tank fermented and 20% barrel fermented. Flavors include lime, peach, ginger, green apple, flint and spice. (18.99).

DAMPT Chablis – 100% Chardonnay from France’s Burgandy region – All the elegance of the chardonnay grapes stemming from fifty year old vines on this exceptionnal land. Medium bodied and easy drinking with green apple and some soft, citrus notes. (20.99).  

Jelu Pinot Noir – From Argentina this wine is dark garnet in color. On the nose, aromas of dark cherries and plums are highlighted with hints of earthiness and spice. On the palate, ripe cherries and blackberries are met with hints of spice on the finish. (15.99).  

Flying Cloud Cabernet Sauvignon – From Paso Robles, California this wine displays aromas and flavors of blackberry and sage. The wine was made using the classic Bordeaux methods of production: fermentation in small stainless steel tanks, two weeks of skin contact, lightly pressed through a small basket press and aged in neutral French oak barrels. This is an easy to drink, fruit forward, lighter-style Cabernet Sauvignon. (17.99).   

Our wine tasting on Thursday is from 4:30 to 7:00.

On Saturday we will have 2 wines to taste - St. Christopher Gewurztraminer  - From Germany – Floral, spicy and fruity – this wine is perfect with your Easter baked ham. (12.99). 

Carol Shelton Wild Thing – Old Vines Zinfandel from Mendocino County, California – this is one of my favorite Zinfandel’s. On the nose, you will detect earthy, chocolate notes imparted by the oak. And spice/pepper. On the palate, chocolate, dark fruit – dark jams and white pepper. Tannins are ripe and well integrated. Fire up a big fat steak with garlic mashed potatoes or fries. This wine could age for a few years and might mellow some, but why wait – it’s delicious! (32.99). 

Our wine tasting on Saturday is from 2:00 to 5:00. 

Until then – Cheers!

Paula 

Hi Everyone,

Thank you all for coming to the Thursday night and Saturday wine tasting. We had a lot of fun both days. I want to thank Patrick Dunn for letting us taste some of his delicious wines. They were all very well received. At tomorrow’s (I can’t believe it’s almost Thursday!) wine tasting Brenna from Perfecta Wine Company will be pouring 3 wines from her portfolio. But before I talk about the wines I’d like to mention a few other items. I have a great assortment of Easter Chocolates from Ava Marie Chocolates. They are delicious and made in New Hampshire – and don’t forget our made in New Hampshire breads – fresh every Thursday afternoon. Also, Sheila posted a comment to last weeks email – it contains a great recipe that she paired with one of Saturday’s wines. Check it out on my website when you get a chance. Now for the shameless plug – New Hampshire magazine is holding their annual BEST OF contest. You can go online at www.nh.com/section/BESTOF and vote. It will take a few minutes because you need to fill in at least 20 categories (easy to do) but at the bottom of the voting ballot you will see a category called “other” that’s where you come in!!! It would be great if you could write in “Wine Cellar – Bella Vino”. You have all helped me make it what it is – a great Wine Cellar where friends gather (and get great wines of course!!)

We will be tasting 3 wines this week – a white Gewurztramminer from Germany,  Valckenberg  - A full-bodied, medium dry white wine with aromas of roses. Fruity on the front but finishes a bit drier with notes of nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. This wine is a perfect match with spicy cuisine (13.99).

Grove Street Merlot - A Sonoma wine offering flavors of ripe blueberry and black cherry with soft oak characteristics of vanilla and spice (16.99).  

Sur Malbec – From Argentina this Malbec has minty, leafy-menthol, plum and berry aromas. Rich palate and juicy acidity. Slight vanilla and tobacco tones (14.99).  

Our wine tasting will be Thursday from 4:30 to 7:00.

Until then – Cheers!

Paula 

Hi Everyone,

Well, March came in like a lion – let’s hope it goes out like a lamb! If you were on vacation last week – you were lucky to have missed a snowy week – and I hope you had a great vacation. Time to get back to your routine and Thursday night’s wine tasting is a great place to start. We will have 2 wines from Italy to taste – and don’t forget our fresh artisan bread’s from “The Good Loaf” that we get every Thursday afternoon.

Our two wines for tasting on Thursday – a white wine from Italy is new to Bella Vino,  Strele Soave from Veneto Italy – Lemons and zingy citrus on the nose.  Nice citrus, lemons, medium bodied, not thin, but not too complex either, nicely balanced, nice acid leaves your mouth feeling clean but not puckered.

Giribaldi Dolcetto d’Alba – Dolcetto is an early-ripening grape, grown in the Northwest area of Piedmont. It produces wines that are soft and fruity and ready-to-drink when released. The Italians like this wine for everyday drinking because of its soft tannins, ripe fruit, and ability to match with a variety of foods.  

New wines at Bella Vino this week – Casa Crebar Carmenere - Chilean wine, deep, dark purple colored wine with attractive aromas black berries, plums and light oak. A powerful and balanced palate shows full fruit flavors, solid body and soft, ripe tannins. ($15.99)

Pine and Post Chardonnay – From Washington State – Smooth, light and appealing for its juicy pear and spice flavors, finishing with a lovely tangerine note. ($9.99)

Mayol Kaleido Malbec - From Argentina – Single vineyard, organic fruit and hand picked wine displaying jammy and coffee undertones with a raspberry finish. ($18.99)

Saturday March 8 from 2:00 to 5:00 Patrick Dunn will be here for a special wine tasting. He will have 4 spectacular wines for you to taste. White Oak Sauvignon Blanc – $19.99 – White Oak Cabernet Sauvignon – $26.99 – Robert Stemlier Pinot Noir - $34.99 and Robert Young Scion – $54.99. 

Our wine tasting will be Thursday from 4:30 to 7:00. Until then – Cheers!

Paula