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Wine Tips of the Week - First Tip of 2012 and Last of our Top Ten in 2011
CHEERS!
from Vintage Connections
Dean and Lisa Foster
Dean and Lisa Foster
Wine Educators and Consultants
First New Wine Tip for 2012
Playmates Fetish Wines 2008
Barossa Valley
Playmates Fetish Wines 2008
Barossa Valley
Our friends Steve and Lori introduced us to this wine. We bought a few, gave one as a gift, and REALLY enjoyed some more ourselves.
This excellent dry red wine comes from the Barossa Valley in Southern Australia. It is a Rhone-style blend of 80% Shiraz, 10% Mataro and 10% Grenache.
This dark red dry wine has aromas of fresh dark red fruits and flavors of cherries and plums. The three varietals blend beautifully and are well-balanced with a long-lasting finish. Excellent when paired with duck and red meats. Try it with your next pot of beef stew! Also extremely drinkable by itself.
Alcohol is 14.5% by volume. PLCB product code is 32224. Currently a Chairman's Select it sells for $12.99 at many PA Wine and Spirit stores.
This excellent dry red wine comes from the Barossa Valley in Southern Australia. It is a Rhone-style blend of 80% Shiraz, 10% Mataro and 10% Grenache. This dark red dry wine has aromas of fresh dark red fruits and flavors of cherries and plums. The three varietals blend beautifully and are well-balanced with a long-lasting finish. Excellent when paired with duck and red meats. Try it with your next pot of beef stew! Also extremely drinkable by itself.
Alcohol is 14.5% by volume. PLCB product code is 32224. Currently a Chairman's Select it sells for $12.99 at many PA Wine and Spirit stores.
Final Five Top Picks from 2011
We sense that many readers aren't really interested in last year's wines, in part because they can't find them any longer (PLCB wines, especially Chairman's Selects come and go, sometimes quickly). However, most of these remaining wines are still available, so buy them fast!
Neil Ellis 2008 Pinotage: PLCB product code 19133, sells for $17.99. This Pinotage is still available at a few PA Wine and Spirits stores, including the Pottstown store.
Dourthe Le Grande Cuvee 2010 Bordeaux Rose: PLCB product code 29350, sells for $11.99. This dry Rose is still available at a few PA Wine and Spirit stores.
Gemtree Vineyards McLaren Vale Tadpole Shiraz 2008: PLCB product code 22914, sells for $13.99. This shiraz is limited in availability locally, closest store is at the Berkshire Mall.
Rocca Dei Sanniti Vino Spumante Sparkling White Wine 2009: PLCB product code 13604, sells for $13.99 and is still a Chairman's Select and is available at many PA Wine and Spirit stores.
Blackstone Reserve Chardonnay Sonoma 2008: PLCB product code 32349, sells for $9.99, is also still a Chairman's Select and is available at many PA Wine and Spirit stores including the store at Suburbia Shopping Center.
We sense that many readers aren't really interested in last year's wines, in part because they can't find them any longer (PLCB wines, especially Chairman's Selects come and go, sometimes quickly). However, most of these remaining wines are still available, so buy them fast!
Neil Ellis 2008 Pinotage: PLCB product code 19133, sells for $17.99. This Pinotage is still available at a few PA Wine and Spirits stores, including the Pottstown store.
Dourthe Le Grande Cuvee 2010 Bordeaux Rose: PLCB product code 29350, sells for $11.99. This dry Rose is still available at a few PA Wine and Spirit stores.
Gemtree Vineyards McLaren Vale Tadpole Shiraz 2008: PLCB product code 22914, sells for $13.99. This shiraz is limited in availability locally, closest store is at the Berkshire Mall.
Rocca Dei Sanniti Vino Spumante Sparkling White Wine 2009: PLCB product code 13604, sells for $13.99 and is still a Chairman's Select and is available at many PA Wine and Spirit stores.
Blackstone Reserve Chardonnay Sonoma 2008: PLCB product code 32349, sells for $9.99, is also still a Chairman's Select and is available at many PA Wine and Spirit stores including the store at Suburbia Shopping Center.
Up-coming Events
If you would like an up-coming (wine-related) event listed in our Vintage Connections Wine E-newsletter and Grapevine blog in the Pottstown Mercury, please email a short summary of the event including the name of your event, name of your winery or organization, short description of the event, date, time, location and cost, at least two weeks in advance to us at
We plan to publish our newsletter and blog two times a month but may do so more or less often, so be sure to send information to us as far in advance of the event as possible.
We will copy and paste your information into our newsletter and blog. We reserve the right to edit as we deem necessary and to not list or publish information at our own discretion.
We plan to publish our newsletter and blog two times a month but may do so more or less often, so be sure to send information to us as far in advance of the event as possible.
We're not purposefully scouring winery newsletters, websites, etc. to find events, but we opened Blair's recent newsletter and wanted to share these up-coming events with you.
| Blair Vineyards Winemaker's Dinner Sunday January 15th, 6pm |
| This four course meal prepared by Chef Ben Smith is priced at $60 per person. Seating is limited. Contact the winery at 610-683-8463 for menu details and to make your reservation. . |
| Happy Hour & Tapas Friday, January 20th 5:30 to 8:30 pm |
| Join the chefs from Divine Dining for another fabulous Happy Hour. Reservations are required, so please contact the winery for details and to save your spot. Music. Tapas plate $25. Wine may be purchased by the glass or by the bottle. Please no tastings during the event. |
| 2010 Syrah Release! January 28th & 29th |
Fun Fact
The varietal Mataro is also known as Mourvedre in most of Europe and the US and also as Monastrell in Spain. Often blended with syrah and grenache to add an interesting complexity to the Rhone-style blend.
The varietal Mataro is also known as Mourvedre in most of Europe and the US and also as Monastrell in Spain. Often blended with syrah and grenache to add an interesting complexity to the Rhone-style blend.
Links
These are a few of our favorite wine-related businesses and organizations.
Wine Trails
posted by Dean and Lisa Foster at
10:00 AM
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