Hi Everyone,

I forgot to mention this new wine in my last email – but probably fitting since this wine is in a class of it’s own. It is the 2003 Grigch Hill Cabernet Sauvignon. And I was lucky enough to get the last 2003 case in stock in New Hampshire Law Warehouse. The 2004 is also a great wine but the 2003 is magnificent. There is a little history behind Grgich Hills wine’s - Miljenko “Mike” Grgich first gained international recognition at the celebrated “Paris Tasting” of 1976. Then, in a now-historic blind tasting, a panel of eminent French judges swirled, sniffed, and sipped an array of the fabled white Burgundies of France and a small sampling of upstart Chardonnays from the Napa Valley. When their scores were tallied, the French judges were shocked: they had chosen Mike’s 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay as the finest white wine in the world”. For more information about Grgich Hills wines visit them at www.grgich.com

Grgich Hills Cabernet Sauvignon – 2003 - Wine & Spirits 94 pts – “Surprisingly elegant for a 2003, this melds bright raspberry flavor with darker tones of savory black olives and freshly turned earth. The fruit character is beautifully floral, clean and fresh, a crush of berry flavor held in tense suspension with the tannin, so finely integrated that it’s the fresh impression that lasts. Lovely to drink now with a roast leg of lamb, this will only get better with age.” ($74.99)

Thanks and hope to see you soon,

 Until then, Cheers!

Paula 

Hi Everyone,

Hope you all had a great weekend. June is winding down so it’s a perfect time to ring in July with a wine tasting featuring some delicious sparkling wines. Sparkling wines are perfect for any occasion; pool parties, cocktail parties, before, during or after dinner or just to sip and relax. We also have a lot of new wines this week, so be sure to drop in and check them out.

The first two sparkling wines are new to the shop this week:

Riva Di Rocco – Prosecco – Italy - Creamy peach fruit creates a luscious texture. Uncomplicated and thoroughly enjoyable. ($16.99)

Vin Du Bugey-Cerdon – Sparkling Red – France -  Blend of 80% Gamay and 20% Poulsard, deep rose in color with a taste of wild strawberries. Ever so slightly sweet, it makes a great aperitif or party wine.  ($21.99)

Reginato ‘Celestina’ Brut Rose – Argentina - 100% Malbec. Hand-harvested. It is a deeply hued rose that speaks of the rich Malbec grape, but never loses its light, refreshing nature. It will give you a good reason to drink sparkling wine with your main course. ($18.99)  

OTHER NEW WINES 

Gruet Chardonnay – New Mexico - Light golden straw in color. Light oak, so the fruit shines through, weaving together pear, vanilla, citrus and apple flavors with a nice delicate oak finish. ($16.99)

Foppiano Lot #96 – Sonoma California - Blend of Sangiovese, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Carignane, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc this is very nice blend. A food friendly wine to be enjoyed with grilled meats, sausages, BBQ and tomato/garlic pasta dishes. ($11.99)

Jalapeno Pepper Wine – LaBelle Winery – New Hampshire - This wine is excellent in salsas, marinades, dips, guacamole, fajitas and especially good in a Bloody Mary. 

Blueberry Wine – LaBelle Winery – New Hampshire - Medium-bodied wine with rich soft notes of vanilla and fresh fruit. Made with 100% New Hampshire wild blueberries.

Bertani Due Uve White – Veneto Italy – Pinot Grigio/Sauvignon Blanc Blend - Pale straw color, full-bodied and well balanced. Nuances of elderflower combined with hints of peach and apricot. ($12.99)  

Villa Donna Barbera – Italy – 100% Barbera - This wine is ruby red in color, dry and medium to full-bodied, cherry, raspberry and blueberry notes. This great food wine pairs will with pork and veal. ($11.99) 

Tramonti Chianti Classico – Italy – 87 pts. Wine Spectator - Aromas of raisins and spices follow through to a full-bodied palate with soft tannins and a medium finish. ($21.99)  

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

Until then – Cheers!

Paula  

Sorry if you missed last night’s wine tasting. Amy LaBelle was as informative as she was charming. She gave us some great idea’s for summer wine drinks using her delicious (and award winning) wines. I am happy to pass these along to all of you. And check out her website www.labellewinerynh.com for great recipe ideas.

Seyval Blanc Wine – Straight up – pairs great with chicken caesar salad, shrimp scampi, scallops – nice blend of citrus flavors, sweetness and acidity.

Cranberry Wine –  Not sweet, but crisp and delicious. Instead of your usual Cosmopolitan, us the Cranberry Wine to replace the vodka and cranberry juice. Mix with triple sec, sugar and lime. Very light and refreshing. This recipe should be on Amy’s website soon.

Red Raspberry Wine – (this wine won Amy a double gold medal) – It is a sweet dessert wine that has a wonderful Raspberry aroma and flavor. We were tasting it yesterday with dark chocolate!! Mix it with club soda and fresh orange wedges – a great summer drink. I mixed this wine with Mike’s Light Cranberry Lemonade – really, really good!

Jalapeno Wine – I will be getting this wine in next week – It makes a great Bloody Mary! Great for cooking too.

Have a great weekend – look forward to seeing you next soon.

Until then – Cheers!

Paula

Hi Everyone,

I hope your weekend was enjoyable and all you dad’s had a great day! We are looking forward to a fun wine tasting on Thursday. We are fortunate to have Amy LaBelle – owner and winemaker from LaBelle Winery – visit us and pour 3 or her delicious wines. Did you know that LaBelle Winery has just recently won 5 medals in the Eastern States Exposition 2008 Wine Competition? Best NH Wine, Best Small Winery in New England and NH and a Double Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal. Congratulations!! Going with the New Hampshire theme we will also have some cheeses from The Sandwich Creamery, some wonderful breads from The Good Loaf and a dipping oil from The Crooked Birch for you to taste. It will be a great New Hampshire night at Bella Vino.

On another note – some of you may have heard the news that The Tupelo Music Hall plans on moving to a new location in Derry end of summer 2009. What does that mean for Bella Vino – hopefully nothing. We love it here! We love our customers, our community, our location. Just be sure to visit us often and tell all your friends about us!!

The wines we will be tasting from LaBelle Winery:

Seyval Blanc - Delicate and beautiful with floral and fruity notes. Perfect wine to drink on a warm summer night. ($11.99)

Cranberry Wine -  Refreshing balance of light sweetness and tart cranberry. ($11.99)

Red Raspberry Wine - Medium-bodied with aromas of fresh raspberries. Tastes as good as it smells! Excellent with chocolate, fresh fruit and cheese. ($12.99) 

RETURNING WINES 

H Coturri – Merlot – California – Organic Wine – No added chemiclas or preservatives and no added sulfites - This Merlot is a dry wine with a dry cherry nose, broad mouth feel and a fine tannin finish. This wine is almost Cabernet Sauvignon like in structure and tannins but is very accessible and softer than most Cab’s. It is the little younger brother of the mighty Cab. This wine very much shows the beauty and power of Merlot and why Merlot traditionally is a fine and much sought after wine, when correctly grown and vinified. ($26.99) 

NEW WINES 

2 Peter Paul Wines - I am not sure how many of you have heard of Peter Paul. He is a New Hampshire native and a UNH Graduate. Just last week he donated 25 million dollars to UNH. This isn’t his first generous contribution to UNH. Peter Paul, his associates and his foundations are involved in many philanthropic endeavors. To read more about Peter, his wines and about his charitable foundations, please visit www.peterpaulwines.com. Or do as I do – drink his wonderful wines. We have always carried Peter Paul Cabernet Sauvignon and his Grove Street Wines.

Peter Paul Merlot – 2002 – Napa Valley - Prominent aromas of fruit, spice, cloves and sage, with intensely jammy blueberry, boysenberry and cassis flavors, with a touch of spice and pepper. ($21.99)

Peter Paul Zinfandel – 2005 – Dry Creek Valley - An elegantly styled wine that shows structure and finesse. Supple tannins support a core of black cherry and cassis, followed by hints of clove, black pepper and anise. Toasty vanilla notes with a good long finish. ($23.99) 

Reginato ‘Celestina’ Brut Rose – 2006- Argentina – 100% Malbec. Hand-harvested. It is a deeply hued rose that speaks of the rich Malbec grape, but never loses its light, refreshing nature. It will give you a good reason to drink sparkling wine with your main course. ($18.99)  

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

Until then – Cheers!

Paula  

The winner of the Father’s Day raffle give-a-way is Melanie Caredon.

And the winner of the Blind Wine tasting – Argentina. Although it was close. Argentina garnered 131 points and Zorvino Vineyard Malbec received 109 points. 

Have a great weekend – look forward to seeing you next week.

Until then – Cheers!

Paula

Hi Everyone,

I hope you all had a great weekend. This weekend will most likely be busy for most of us – between Father’s Day and Graduation events and everything else that normally takes place!! Speaking of Father’s Day – our Father’s Day wine tasting last Saturday was lots of fun. Thanks to Chuck for pouring some delicious wines and Gary for his fantastic gourmet grilled pizza. Don’t forget to stop in this week for your chance to win a special Father’s Day gift or for some great gift idea’s for all the dads on your list.

We will be having a different kind of wine tasting on Thursday. Our first wine will be our Wine of the Month - San Rocco Pinot Grigio – Italy. We will have 2 additional wines to taste, both Malbec’s – one from Argentina and one from a local New Hampshire Vineyard. To ensure impartial judgement of the wine’s, they will be served and tasted blind. Here is a brief description of the Malbec grape and how a typical Malbec might taste:

Malbec is one of the five grape varieties mainly used for making red wines in the Bordeaux region of France. In Bordeaux, Malbec is used like a chef would use a spice. Malbec is blended with other wines but it makes up a very small percentage of the blend. On the other hand, Malbec has found a new home and a new following in the wines of Argentina. Some of the best Malbec’s will have an intense red-violet color. The palate is described as dry, mouthfilling and sumptuous with some blueberry and mineral notes. 

Come taste and see if you can tell which wine is from Argentina and which one is made in New Hampshire! 

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

Until then – Cheers!

Paula  

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to send along some more information about the SPECIAL SATURDAY “celebrating dads” WINE TASTING. This Saturday from 1 to 3, Chuck Saunders will be pouring 4 of his delicious wines. We will also have head grill master “Gary” and assistant “Tom” preparing grilled pizza to pair with our wines. And you will have an opportunity to win a great Fathers Day gift.

Here are our 4 wines: 

Susana Balbo Torrontes Crios White – Argentina – 90 Points Robert Parker - “The 2007 Torrontes is about as good as the varietal gets. Super fragrant, smelling of a spring flower garden, honey, and exotic spices, from the nose one expects the wine to be sweet. On the palate, however, it is dry with a creamy texture, intense flavors, excellent acidity, and a lengthy finish. It is an ideal alternative for rich courses normally calling for Chardonnay. All of the Crios wines are outstanding values.” ($16.99)  

Newport – Riesling – Rhode Island -  Slightly off-dry, with floral aromas and rich melon and mineral flavors; refreshing finish. ($15.99)

Red Dust – Shiraz – Australia -  Red Dust Shiraz is a blend of 95% Shiraz and 5% Merlot. The wine is deep ruby-purple in color with a rich aroma of blackberries, plums and a hint of pepper. Full in body with typical Aussie ripeness of fruit, the wine offers dark berry flavors complemented by just the right touch of oak. Well balanced, the wine lingers beautifully on the finish. ($12.99)    

Tikal Patriota Mendoza Red – Argentina – 90 points Wine Spectator - Blend of 60% Bonarda, 40% Malbec – With an alluring nose of spice, mocha and cocoa powder, this also delivers a pure, racy palate of red plum and currant fruit, with a long, lingering finish. Drink now. Pair with assorted grilled meats, pasta in red sauce. ($26.99)  

Be sure to stop in – Saturday – 1 to 3 -it will be lots of fun!

Until then – Cheers!

Paula 

Hi Everyone,

I hope you all had an enjoyable weekend. This is a busy time of the year for most of us. But hopefully you can squeeze in 2 Bella Vino events this week. Our Thursday night wine tasting and a special Fathers Day tasting on Saturday, June 7 from 1 to 3. I’ll send along more information regarding the Fathers Day tasting later in the week. 

Thursdays wine tasting: 2 Oregon wines 

Returning by popular demand: Chehalem – INOX – Chardonnay - Willamette Valley, Oregon – A delicious unoaked Chardonnay – Tropical fruit flavors of pineapple and guava, structured with a spicy ginger edge and tartness of green apple that finishes juicy and long. ($19.99)

Firesteed – Pinot Noir - Oregon – The wine is richly aromatic, like a warm berry cobbler topped with cold vanilla ice cream. Lively in the mouth, each sip is brimming with black cherry and raspberry flavors that continue through to the richly rewarding finish. (How’s that for a description – straight from the Firesteed website!!) ($19.99) 

WINE OF THE MONTH – San Rocco Pinot Grigio – Italy - This wine is made from select Pinot Grigio grapes. Straw-yellow in color, it has an intense bouquet with a delicate scent of wildflowers. This wine is dry, fresh and harmonious and full of character. It should be served chilled and goes well with rich hors d’oeuvres, soups and fish. ($11.99 WotM $10.80) 

NEW WINES 

Chateau Peralta – Cabernet Sauvignon – California - 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, this wine features hints of cherry, cocoa and vanilla. ($11.99)  

Newport – Riesling – Rhode Island -  Slightly off-dry, with floral aromas and rich melon and mineral flavors; refreshing finish. ($15.99)   

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

Until then – Cheers!

Paula