Mel and Rose Blog

Grand Cru: Burgundy’s ultimate categorization

melandrose — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:21:22 +0000

At the top of the Burgundy organization system are the Grand cru vineyards, where some of the most desirable wines in the world are produced. the origins of Burgundy’s Grand crus can be found in the work of the Cistercians who, among their vast land holdings, were able to delineate and isolate plots of land that productes wine of distinct character.

Following the French Revolution many of these vineyards were broken up and sold as smaller parcels to various owners.

Since there are so few vineyards classified as Grand cru, understanding them should be easy. But this is Burgundy so there are many exceptions to the rules.
The “if it is white, it’s Chardonnay and if it is red it’s Pinot Noir” rule applies to all Grand Cru classified wines of Burgundy – no exceptions. Any wine designated as Grand cru must be produced from grapes entirely from that cru – no exceptions.
Each Grand cru is its own Appellation or better know as d’origine contrôlée (AOC) – that is, it is documented by the Institut National des Appellations d’Origine (INAO) as a unique appellation AND is also classified by Burgundians as Grand cru.
The exception to this is Chablis. The appellation of Chablis Grand Cru is recognized as a specific appellation, within that appellation are seven climats (climat is refers to a named vineyard in Burgundy) designated as individual Grand crus.

Click to view slideshow.

For extra credit, look up the “eighth” Grand Cru of Chablis, La Moutonne. This monopole (a monopole vineyard is owned exclusively by one producer) vineyard straddles the Vaudésir and Les Preuses Grand cru climats. The complications of why it is unofficially documented as Grand cru are too complicated to explain in the space, but it’s great trivia for Chablis lovers.
Most Grand crus are controlled to producing either red or white wines. Corton (the largest Grand cru) and Musigny are the exceptions – they produce Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

A common mistake that customer make is saying “I’m looking for some Montrachet.” Most of the time they are referring to the popular AOC wine Chassagne-Montrachet. The Grand cru, le Montrachet, is among the most expensive wines in the world and those who are ordering that wine will say le Montrachet if that is what they want – those who pay $400 to $800 for a current vintage bottle of white wine know how to order it.

Due to inheritance scheme outlined by Napoleonic code specified that all inheritance must be equally divided among heirs further contributed to the parceling of Burgundy’s vineyards, marriages and lost fortunes over the centuries, most Grand crus have many different owners. The Grand cru Clos Vougeot was once a monopole vineyard of 125-acre owned by the church. Today it has over seventy different owners, some of whom only own enough vines to make a case of wine per vintage. There are a few monopole Grand Crus – one of the best is Corton Grancy, owned by Louis Latour.
All owners of parcels of Grand crus can designate the name of the cru on their wine, no matter how little their holdings. Just be aware, if you give the same extraordinary end ingredients to seventy chefs, you will end up with varying results. Not all Grand crus, even from the same vineyard, are equal.
The good news is, the best way to determine which Grand cru you like and which producer of that Grand cru does the best job for you is to taste these amazing wines.

The bad news is, these are among the most expensive wines in the world. So whenever you get a chance to taste Grand cru Burgundy, make notes of what you like. For most people it will take years to have the opportunity to become familiar with Grand cru Burgundy. Here is a link to a number of Grand cru in our stores cellar that you might enjoy without braking the bank:
http://www.melandrose.com/istar.asp?a=3&dept=14&class=1&subclass=5
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8 Champagne Cocktails for Valentine’s

melandrose — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:49:57 +0000

Valentine’s Day Champagne Cocktail Roundup
8 ways to toast your loved one

Valentine’s Day is the perfect occasion for a Champagne cocktail. They’re versatile. You can make them sweet, dry, fruity, floral or spiced.

Whether you’re toasting with your true love or a group of friends, here are some Champagne cocktails to celebrate with this Valentine’s Day.
Champagne Cocktail — The traditional and original Champagne cocktail

Shrinking Violet Champagne Cocktail – A lovely color and light flavor perfect for any special occasion

Sparkling Hibiscus Champagne Cocktail – Simple to make yet beautiful to look at

Kir Royale – Lightly fruity classic

Black Velvet – For the beer lovers

Orangecello Champagne Cocktail – A fun treat made with tasty Italian liqueur

Lemon Herb Sparkler – Galliano makes for a very different Champagne cocktail

Blooming Fizz – Lemon sorbet and elderflower liqueur make a delicate experience

Here is a great Champagne Cocktail

Ingredients

3 oz. Chilled Champagne

1/2 oz. Cognac (optional)

2 Dashes Angostura Bitters

1 Sugar Cube

Garnish: Maraschino Cherry & Lemon Twist

Preparation

Drop a sugar cube into a Champagne flute. Soak the sugar with the bitters. Pour in the cognac and fill the glass with Champagne. Drop in a cherry, and add the lemon twist on the rim.

New Year’s Eve Champagne Q&A

melandrose — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:36:36 +0000

Celebrate 2012

As midnight approaches on December 31st, more than a few of us will crack open a bottle or two of champagne to help toast in the New Year.

With a few choice facts about the bubbly stuff, you can look knowledgeable rather than just tipsy when you drain your flute. Here are a few little nuggets you can share with fellow revelers.

1. What exactly is champagne?
Strictly speaking, champagne is a sparkling wine that comes from the Champagne region of northeastern France.

If it’s a bubbly wine from another region, it’s sparkling wine, not champagne.

While many people use the term “champagne” generically for any sparkling wine, the French have maintained their legal right to call their wines champagne for over a century. The Treaty of Madrid, signed in 1891 established this rule, and the Treaty of Versailles reaffirmed it.

The European Union helps protect this exclusivity now, although certain American producers can still generically use “champagne” on their labels if they were using the term before early 2006.

2. How is champagne made?
Sparkling wines can be made in a variety of ways, but traditional champagne comes to life by a process called the methode Champenoise. Champagne starts its life like any normal wine. The grapes are harvested, pressed, and allowed to undergo a primary fermentation. The acidic results of this process are then blended and bottled with a bit of yeast and sugar so it can undergo a secondary fermentation in the bottle. (It’s this secondary fermentation that gives champagne its bubbles.)

This new yeast starts doing its work on the sugar, and then dies and becomes what’s known as lees. The bottles are then stored horizontally so the wine can “age on lees” for 15 months or more.

After this aging, winemakers turn the bottles upside down so the lees can settle to the bottom. Once the dead yeast has settled, producers open the bottles to remove the yeast, add a bit of sugar known as dosage to determine the sweetness of the champagne, and slip a cork onto the bottle. Mental Floss: Why is the drinking age 21?

3. What’s so special about the Champagne region?

Several factors make the chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier grapes grown in the Champagne region particularly well suited for crafting delicious wines. The northern location makes it a bit cooler than France’s other wine-growing regions, which gives the grapes the proper acidity for sparkling wine production. Moreover, the porous, chalky soil of the area — the result of large earthquakes millions of years ago — aids in drainage.

4. Do I have to buy champagne to get good sparkling wine?

Not at all. Although many champagnes are delightful, most the world’s wine regions make tasty sparkling wines of their own. You can find highly regarded sparkling wines from California, Spain, Italy, Australia, and other areas without shelling out big bucks for Dom Perignon.

5. Speaking of Dom Perignon, who was this guy?
Contrary to popular misconception, the namesake of the famous brand didn’t invent champagne. But Perignon, a Benedictine monk who worked as cellar master at an abbey near Epernay during the 17th and 18th centuries, did have quite an impact on the champagne industry.

In Perignon’s day, sparkling wine wasn’t a really sought-after beverage. In fact, the bubbles were considered to be something of a flaw, and early production methods made producing the wine somewhat dangerous. (Imprecise temperature controls could lead to fermentation starting again after the wine was in the bottle.

If one bottle in a cellar exploded and had its cork shoot out, a chain reaction would start.) Perignon helped standardize production methods to avoid these explosions, and he also added two safety features to his wines: thicker glass bottles that better withstood pressure and rope snare that helped keep corks in place. Mental Floss: The men behind your favorite liquors

6. What’s the difference between brut and extra brut?
You’ll see these terms on champagne labels to describe how sweet the good stuff in the bottle is. As mentioned above, a bit of sugar known as dosage is added to the bottle right before it’s corked, and these terms describe exactly how much sugar went in. Extra brut has less than six grams of sugar per liter added, while brut contains less than 15 grams of additional sugar per liter. Several other classifications exist, but drier champagnes are more common.

7. Why do athletes spray each other with champagne after winning titles?
Throughout its history, champagne has been a celebratory drink that’s made appearances at coronations of kings and the launching of ships. However, the bubbly-spraying throwdowns that now accompany athletic victories are a much more recent development.

When Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt won the grueling 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1967, they ascended the winner’s podium with a bottle of champagne in hand. Gurney looked down and saw team owner Carroll Shelby and Ford Motors CEO Henry Ford II standing with some journalists and decided to have a bit of fun. Gurney gave the bottle a shake and sprayed the crowd, and a new tradition was born.

8. What’s sabrage?
After the French Revolution, members of Napoleon’s cavalry decided that the normal pop-and-foam ritual of opening a bottle of champagne just wasn’t as visually impressive as it could be. They responded by popularizing a way of opening bottles using a sword.

The technique, known as sabrage, involved holding a bottle at arm’s length while quickly running a saber down the bottle towards the neck. When the saber’s blade struck the glass lip just beneath the cork, the glass breaks, shooting off the cork and neck of the bottle while leaving the rest of the vessel intact.

Ceremonial “champagne swords” are available for just this purpose, and if you can pull off this trick, you’ll be the toast of your shindig. (Be careful, though. A flying champagne cork is already you’ll-put-your-eye-out dangerous, and adding a ring of ragged broken glass to the equation doesn’t make the whole endeavor any safer.) Mental Floss: Drinking stories that put yours to shame.

Now that you know all about Champagne & Sparkling wine, you can use the link below to see our vast selection of them.

http://www.melandrose.com/asp_pages/champagne.asp

Selecting a Good Tequila

melandrose — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 20:52:51 +0000

Are you in the market for a good bottle of Tequila?

I thing the first thing for any Tequila lover is to know the history of all Tequilas. Tequila is distilled from the juice of the Agave plant. After the Agave plant has grown several years, it starts to store up sugars to feed its flower. This Flower or bloom is usually detached or it will use all the sugars that are needed in the distillation process.

Ancient Aztec Indians used the Agave plant for countless things. This included processing the leaves into a type of thread and also allowing the juice to ferment and drinking it. This was the first Tequila! Years later the fermented juice was distilled producing the first real Tequila. Today, Tequila is produced in numerous distilleries in Mexico, and much of it is exported to the United States.

Here are some pointers of how to select a good bottle of Tequila.

*NEVER buy Tequila that you have seen advertised. Most of these brands spend so much on advertising that they sometimes skimp on quality.

*Look on the label for “100% AGAVE”. If this is not on the label, DO NOT buy the bottle! This means that the “Tequila” in the bottle is not really Tequila. It contains either water, colorings, artificial this, artificial that, etc…

*Make sure that the Tequila is made in Mexico. “Made” is “Hecho” in Spanish, either of these will do. Mexico cannot make whiskey, we sure cannot make Tequila here either.

*Know your local Liquor Shop so that they can direct you to the best valued Tequila in the market.

List of all Tequilas on our site:

And finally …… try anything within these criteria, find the one you like the best, enjoy!
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Tequila in a Crystal Snifter

melandrose — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 16:51:48 +0000

THE latest group of tequilas can look in the mirror and see the reflection of a good Cognac. Having spent time in French oak barrels, they desire to be poured from crystal decanters into snifters.
Unlike the two tequila types that control the market — the popular, margarita-friendly Silver, and the temporarily aged Reposado (rested) tequilas — these new tequilas must be aged at least three years in oak, longer than regular Aañejo (aged) tequilas. They surface a deep golden color, with rich, honeyed, sometimes smoky flavors that are more typical of brandy or Scotch. The often strongly vegetal quality that distinguishes good tequila may have taken a powder.
Though some of these top-of-the-line tequilas are not new to the market, they now be eligible for the designation Extra Añejo, or extra-aged, which was accepted by Mexico’s National Committee on Standardization about a year ago. (Flavored tequilas were also approved.) Until then, Añejo tequilas needed at least a year in oak, and those aged three years or more had no special distinction.
Now with the market for high-end spirits on the rise, producers convinced the government that longer-aged tequilas, often priced at $100 or more a bottle, needed to be set apart!
Among the first of the tequilas labeled Extra Añejo to reach us in US was Gran Centenario Leyenda, aged about four years in French oak, and sold in a bottle similar to that of Rémy Martin XO Cognac. Another great tequila in the market , Chinaco Negro and Partida Elegante, two new extra añejos, hold the Extra Anejo label.
The Extra Añejo designation will also appear on new shipments of Sauza Tres Generaciones (costing about $60), 1800 Colección (about $2,000, in a special bottle), Cuervo Reserva de la Familia ($130) and other labels.
Sales of super-premium tequilas, those costing $40 a bottle or more, have increased more than 20 percent this year. So it’s no wonder that producers in Mexico are aiming for the luxury market.
But not all of our tequila lover customers applaud this expansion! Customers state that they like tequila for its essential fresh, bright floral character. Extra aging produces flavors that are more roasted and nutty and don’t taste like agave. These aged tequilas are strictly luxury items.
Like all fine tequilas, those given extra aging are made from 100 percent blue agave, the big succulent with spiked leaves that grows in central Mexico. The round, fleshy core of the plant, or piña, is cooked and crushed, and the resulting juice, or agua miel (honey water), is fermented and then distilled to make tequila.
The unaged spirit, diluted with water to bring the alcohol content down to about 40 percent, is silver or Blanco (white), with a citrusy, herbaceous perfume and peppery intensity that can sometimes be harsh.
Tequila that is aged from two months to a year becomes Reposado, which is likely to be softer and more nuanced than silver. Aged or Añejo tequila is kept in oak, often in bourbon barrels, for a year or more and becomes mellower still, taking on overtones of buttered toast and caramel, and losing more of the vegetal agave character along the way.
Until fairly recently, tequila aficionados considered aging for more than three years to be a waste of time since it essentially tended to mute the character of the spirit.
We tasted a dozen extra añejos, aged from three to seven years, at Mel and Rose. More than half of them, including the Sauza Tres Generaciones, were in tequila denial.
But the 1800 Colección was sweetly vegetal and very rich with an elegant aftertaste; the Chinaco Emperador ($320 to $400) had a lingering herbal flavor, with whiffs of smoke, mint, citrus and caramel; the Herradura Selección Suprema ($250 to $350) was exceptionally smooth with tequila aromas and floral, herbal complexity; the Milagro Select Barrel Reserve (about $100) was smoky with a sweet fruitiness and a lingering finish; and the Clase Azul Ultra Tequila(about $1700) showed tequila character in the aftertaste.
We have the best sources for Extra Añejos in Los Angeles Shops.
With an eye to the high-end market, many of the Extra Añejos come in elaborate decanter-style bottles nestled in fancy boxes, often numbered to indicate limited production.
.It’s evident in the packaging that some of these are not intended for tequila drinkers and they’re not meant for drinking in a margarita but to be collected and sipped in a snifter!

Extra Anejo Tequilas available at Mel and Rose

• JOSE CUERVO ANIVERSARIO 250
• PARTIDA ELEGANTE TEQUILA
• KAH DAY OF THE DEAD EXTRA ANEJO
• CLASE AZUL ULTRA TEQUILA
• ASOMBROSO ANEJO TEQUILA

Location, Location, Location! Even when it comes to Wine.

melandrose — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 03:26:20 +0000

An easy way to appreciate the nuances, flavors and structure of a well-crafted wine is to open a second bottle. Side-by-side comparison of wines created from identical varietals but sourced from dissimilar locations often reveals more than tasting them individually. Even wines from the same vineyard might vary widely each year depending upon the weather or the techniques used during a particular season.

Truly great wines maintain an underlying consistency that speaks to the specific site where the grapes are grown. The French term “terroir” embodies this concept of location as a determinant of a wine’s essence. Grapes grown in the verdant California climate are, and should be, different from those grown in less hospitable climes and those differences ideally are reflected in the wines they produce.

The Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for Champagne are grown at the very limits of the vines’ survivability and the resulting stress is what creates the flavors that are so prized in the wine. On the opposite side of the world and growing spectrum is Australian Shiraz whose flavors mirror the rich agricultural conditions. In some Burgundy vineyards, the difference in soils between one row of vines and the next is sufficient to change the characteristics, quality and ultimately the price of the wine.

The “No Muss, No Fuss” Bloody Mary!

melandrose — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 16:15:01 +0000

Belvedere Blood Mary Vodka 750ml Bottle

All hail the “No Muss, No Fuss” Bloody Mary!

We welcome an exciting new take from Belvedere Vodka on an old favorite… the Bloody Mary.

No mix or special ingredients required. Whether you are lounging poolside, picnicking seaside, or trekking through the wilderness you can enjoy a refreshing Bloody Mary with little fuss. The Belvedere Bloody Mary Vodka has a robust and spicy flavor that any Bloody Mary fan will enjoy. In a world where little is pure and natural this drink is completely natural with no artificial additives or flavors. Take a sip and you will experience a flavor explosion… tomato, horseradish, black pepper, red pepper and chili’s will tickle your taste buds and provide a great kick start for any event.

How to read German Riesling labels

melandrose — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 03:58:54 +0000

Many wine-drinkers don’t appreciate the virtues of German rieslings. The usual complaints are that labels are too difficult to understand, and that most of the wines are so sweet. But there’s a great variety of Riesling in the marketplace and the diverse types pair very well with a wide range of foods. We’d like to take the guesswork out of choosing a German Riesling wine to help you select wines you’re most likely to enjoy or the most appropriate ones to send as unique corporate gifts. In doing so, we’ll provide some helpful information on pairing these delicious and dynamic wines with food and provide links to some great wine club options.

The labels on these wines can be difficult to decipher (unless of course, you can read German) Key terms for dry Rieslings, are halbtrocken (half-dry) and trocken (driest). These words combined with the grape varietals below will determine how dry the wine will taste.

Kabinett - This is the driest of the Rieslings with a semi-light body. Kabinett is a good complement to seafood, sushi, Asian entrees, Thai entrees, vegetables, garlic dishes and light poultry or pork entrees.

Spatlese - This is made from “late harvest” grapes that are overripe and is often an off-dry wine with a medium-body. Spatlese works well with spicy foods, fruit dishes, seafood, fatty and oily dishes like pork and rich, smoked meats.

Auslese - These “selected harvest” grapes are selected and handpicked from very ripe bunches in the autumn. Auslese can be sweeter than the Spatlese and well balanced. These wines are a great pair with rich cheeses, spicy foods like curries, pork and Szechuan dishes like duck with sweet & sour sauce.

As for the sweeter, dessert Rieslings, you can choose from:

Beerenauslese -Great with apples, peaches and cream, pie and even caramel.

Trockenbeerenauslese - Drink this wine alone but if you insist on pairing, choose a ripe, crisp fruit.

Eiswien - Another dessert wine to drink alone, or if you have an intense sweet tooth, pair with a decadent dessert.

A great way to learn more about these wines or to share the experience with others is to send wine of the month club. Whether you’re inviting people over for dinner tastings or sending a 3 month Wine Club or as unique corporate gifts, there’s no substitute to trying the different wine gifts and picking which ones you like best. Choosing a wine of the month club will help you expand your tastes, whether you enjoy a dry Riesling such as a S. A. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett Wine or a balanced fruity S.A. Prum Essence Riesling Wine.

Mel and Rose Wine Clubs:

This RedBreast is a Killer!

melandrose — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 18:11:20 +0000

REDBREAST PURE POT STILL 12 YEARS OLD

What a perfect Saint Patrick’s Day Drink!
In the tradition of classic purt postt sill Irish Whiskey, RedBreast 12 years old is complex, assertive and full flavoured.
Redbreast is a beautifully balanced pure pot still Irish Whiskey, with a warm, generous texture, rich, sweet flavours and a spicy kick. In the view of many connoisseurs, the finest Irish whiskey available. Picked up the top prize in its category at the World Whisky Awards 2010, and was named as Irish Whiskey of the year by Jim Murray in the Whisky Bible 2010, with a score of 96 points.

purchase Redbreast 12 years old

The Taste of the Wine

melandrose — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 17:38:36 +0000

Wine geeks break the world into two different parts:
The Old World and the New World
For complicated reasons, these wine taste very different from each other, but they show characteristics of either fruit or earth.
Old-world countries include France, Italy, Germany, Spain and Portugal. Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United States are considered the New World.

We set up a simple rule to describe taste: Old world wines have predominantly earthy flavors such as mushroom, cigar, mineral, stone, tar, clove, herb. New-world wines have mostly fruity flavors such berry, cherry, apple, mango & orange.

You might ask, is this a full proof method? definitely not; however, in our years in business, I have seen the lightbulb turn on for countless people. It helps the consumer manage select amount a large wine selection, and it sets the stage for more advance and specific training of your palate.