Single Malt Scotch Tasting - February 19
Calling all
scotch lovers, we are planning
a tasting of single-malt scotch for Sunday, February 19,
starting at 3 pm. Plan to join us for this
tasting of premium single-malt scotch whiskey. The event will
include tasting and light snacks. Cost is $40 per person, advance
reservations required.
To make the tasting as good as it can be, we'll also be
offering an in-store discount on Riedel scotch glasses. You can buy
your glassware and then use it to experience the scotch to the fullest. Call us to
reserve your ticket:
630-435-9463.
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Finding Winners for Your Cellar
Do people
really spend $100 for a bottle of wine? Why would they?
“Americans drink out of the trunks of their cars.” So says a friend of a
friend, who’s in the business of selling wine to Americans and is in a
position to know. It’s truer than we care to admit; most of us buy wine
with the intention of drinking it within the next week or two, maybe a
month at most. If we discover a bottle we truly love at an appealing price
we may buy a case or two and work at making it last, but many of us aren’t
confident enough in our ability to discern a truly stellar wine to
consider parting with a lot of money for a bottle.
What
constitutes a “trophy wine”? Several factors, many of which are completely
quantifiable, some of which are not. Taste, after all, is a very personal
thing, and a Barolo, even a beauty from the 2000 vintage, is not on the
top of everybody’s wish list. So how to assemble a wish list for your wine
cellar? How do you choose a wine worth keeping, and worth spending a
little extra to obtain?
At the
risk of stating the obvious: start with what you love. If you find
yourself consistently scribbling stars next to the Cabs on your tasting
programs or your wine journal, or you’re entranced by the differences
between Rieslings from Mosel and Rheinghau, start there. Your taste buds
are your starting point, if we assume that the purpose of your wine
purchases is your own future enjoyment.
Next, do
some research. The internet has opened the door to a global marketplace
for anyone with a modem, and many wineries maintain top-notch websites
with harvest reports, winemaker profiles, and ratings/reviews of their
wares. Read the trade magazines, too. Robert Parker’s “Wine Advocate”, the
Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast and Wine & Spirits all regularly review
regional vintages as a whole and specific wines in particular, and are
available to the public. Parker’s publication accepts no advertising,
boosting its credibility in the trade somewhat. There’s a lot of
information out there, if you have the time and interest to pursue it.
But if
your goal is to acquire an extra-special bottle (or two) without devoting
too many hours to researching your quarry, it helps to have an expert in
your corner. We’re fortunate to have a passionate wine sleuth at Wine
Expressions. Jack Thew enjoys nothing more than sorting out the gems of
the wine world, whether they’re yet another masterpiece from a well-known
winemaker or a spectacular debut from an up-and-comer. Jack reads the
trade press, researches the ratings and the vintage reports, and keeps a
weather eye on the producers to select the cream of the crop for Wine
Expressions. Many of these wines sell for less than $20 a bottle, but we
also have quite a few bottles that justify an investment, based on their
ratings, the track record of the producer, and limited availability.
Jack’s
current top choice for a new or seasoned wine collector is Buccella’s 2002
Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. 2002 was a great year for Napa Cabs;
Parker awarded the region’s vintage 95 points, with a notation that the
wines were likely to be “early maturing,” meaning extensive cellaring is
not required to rein in the tannins. The Buccella earned 92 points from
Parker, 93 from Wine Spectator, and should age gracefully for at least 10
years. What makes this a standout, however, is its rarity. Only 403 cases
of this wine were made. This is and will continue to be a sought-after
“trophy.”
Another
worthy acquisition from the same Napa vintage is Staglin Family Vineyard’s
20th Anniversary Cabernet. Awarded 95 points by Wine Spectator,
and 92-94 by Parker, this is another elegant powerhouse wine from a
producer whose Cabs have earned 91 points or more in every release since
2000. While Staglin produced substantially more of this wine (2500 cases
were made), rendering it less of a rarity, its sterling pedigree makes it
desirable to those looking to build a “vertical” collection of successive
vintages from the same winery.
Avid fans
of fine Italian wines would do well to consider adding one or two of
Caparzo’s 1999 Brunello di Montalcinos to the cellar before they’re all
gone. Montalcino is considered the top appellation in Toscana, and
Brunello is its favorite varietal. 1999 was a stellar year for the region,
and Caparzo, consistently recognized for the quality of its wines, was in
the front of the pack. Wine Expressions offers two wines from this
harvest: the 1999 Caparzo La Casa Brunello di Montalcino (their flagship
wine, scoring 94 points from Wine Spectator) and the 1999 Caparzo Brunello
di Montalcino. Both are full-bodied Italian reds (Brunello is a derivative
of Sangiovese), but with silky smooth tannins and elegant structure that
promise longevity in the cellar and a marvelous personality in the glass.
At the
other end of the spectrum (and the other side of the world) is the
relatively new Two Hands Winery in the Barossa Valley in Australia.
Production began in 2000, and Wine Spectator awarded every one of the 39
wines it reviewed from the 2001 thru 2004 vintages 91 points or higher. In
2004 Robert Parker pronounced Two Hands “the finest negociant operation
south of the equator.” In that same year Two Hands opened a new winery
dedicated to small-batch production of its unmistakably Aussie-styled
wines. The wines of Michael Twelftree and Richard Mintz definitely belong
on the rack of anyone who appreciates full-throttle Shiraz or Australian
wines as a genre, and by collector’s standards they’re very attractively
priced.
Collecting wine can be fun, engrossing and even (possibly) profitable if
you’re inclined to part with your treasures at a future date. The trick is
to remember to open your wine when it reaches maturity. If you’re
fortunate enough to own multiple bottles of the same wine it can be
instructive to open a bottle at intervals of a year or so to see how it’s
progressing (be sure to take notes!). And of course, if you’re planning to
keep wine for a long period of time it makes sense to store it properly,
but that’s another story.
We’d bet
that there’s an occasion in your future that merits a bottle of something
extra special. Stop in and see us, and let us help you choose a “keeper”
for your cellar, or answer your questions about cellaring wines you
already own. You’ll find there’s nothing like anticipation to get a party
started!
Footnote:
Got a bottle you’ve been
saving for …something? National “Open That Bottle!” night is February 25.
One of the hazards of cellaring wine is the possibility of keeping a
special bottle beyond its ideal maturity while waiting for just the right
“occasion” to open it. We say, if you open that bottle, it’s an occasion.
Fire up the corkscrews, and be sure to tell us about your experience!
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New Chicago Wine School Courses Starting Soon
Patrick Fegan's
Chicago Wine School presents a new series of wine courses and seminars
starting over the next few weeks.
Courses include "Basics of Wine," "France - A Primer," "The Great Red
Grapes" and "Wines of California - A Primer."
Mr. Fegan, a world-renowned wine scholar, teaches wine classes in the
Chicago area.
Visit his website for details and a complete schedule.
Store Location
We are located in downtown Lisle at the southwest corner of Burlington
Ave. & Main St.
Extra parking is available behind our building.
Hours of Operation
Mon - Sat 10 am - 8 pm
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About
Our Mailing List
The mailing list for this newsletter was gleaned from the personal email
archives of Wine Expressions' owners and from direct requests received
from our customers.
We hope you enjoy the newsletter and decide to remain on our distribution
list. You are welcome to pass this newsletter along to a friend, or
click
unsubscribe
to be removed from our lists.
By the way, we never share your email or address information with anyone
else.
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Prairie Big Blue Stem
Here's an even easier way to build your cellar - join our
Prairie Big Blue Stem club. There is no charge, and no obligation. You
will receive email alerts from Jack when he finds exceptional wines, long
before they are available in our store. (Some are such small-run, high
demand wines that they'll never be stocked in the store!)
All the research is done for you - Jack provides ratings,
comments, storage guidelines and descriptions of the wines. You decide
when you want to order the wines. Again, there's no obligation.
Ask Jack or anyone at the store for details.
Send Jack an email to join
PBBS.
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Schedule
of Events
Prairie Sampling:
Friday, Jan 20 4 - 6:30 &
Saturday, Jan 21 1 - 6:30: Wines from South Africa
Friday, Jan 27 4 - 6:30 &
Saturday, Jan 28 1 - 6:30: BEER - Blizzard-Blocking Beers
Friday, Feb 3 4 - 6:30 &
Saturday, Feb 4 1 - 6:30: Wines from Argentina
Friday, Feb 10 4 - 6:30 &
Saturday, Feb 11 1 - 6:30: Wines for Lovers
Also on Saturday - Riedel demonstration, Syrah glass
Friday, Feb 17 4 - 6:30 &
Saturday, Feb 18 1 - 6:30: Wines from New Zealand
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Jan 31
Tasting at The View: German Estate Wines
Our regular tasting series at The View restaurant in Lisle highlights a
different area of the world, or type of wine, each month. In January, we
feature German Estate wines. The evening includes a tasting of six wines,
paired to small-plate food portions, and an educational presentation.
Join us on Tuesday, January 31, and experience some of the best wine
values in the world. The View is located in Lisle, at the Riverbend Golf Course, 5900 Hwy 53.
Our tasting begins at 7 pm. Cost is $25 per person. Call The
View to register, 630-968-1920. (back to top)
Ladies Night Out: Feb 6 & 13
- Wine Meets Chocolate
Yes, it's going to be as good as it sounds! Only a few tickets
remain for our February Ladies Night Out event, where we'll pair various
wines with foods that contain chocolate. There will be main course
dishes as well as the desserts.
Due to high demand, we've already added a second evening for this event.
Cost is $25 per person, advance registration required. As always,
our event includes a fabulous selection of wines for tasting, paired with
hors d'oeuvres. Please register by Wednesday, Feb 1.
Ladies Night Out: Wine Meets Chocolate
Monday, Feb 6 & Monday, Feb 13, 7:30 pm
$25 per person
Call for Reservations: 630.435.9463
or 888.656.9463
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Legal Notice
on Ordering Wine
You must be 21 years of age or older to order any alcoholic beverage.
By law, we are allowed to ship wine to the following
states: Arkansas, District of Columbia, California,
Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota,
Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota,
Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and
Wyoming.
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