Holiday Spirits

The holiday season is upon us and most of us will have persistent lingering questions in our minds; "What should I give {insert name here}?" and "What should we drink?". Lets take a little time to talk about both.

As we all know, one of the most wonderful things to receive and perhaps one of the most difficult thing to shop for is the gift of wine or spirits. How do you shop for another person's unique palate? How do you buy something for that friend who knows so much about wine? The short answer is to let your trusted retailer or sommelier help you. They will make it easy to chose something wonderful. If you would prefer to choose something yourself, there are a few tips in finding something spectacular. Try to go to a retailer who specializes in what you are trying to purchase.

If looking for spirits, there are several online retailers who specialize in a particular spirit. For instance, when it comes to Scotch, there is an easy way to select something interesting. There are several firms which specialize in making a "selection". That is to say that they purchase barrels before they are bottled and bottle them under their own label. In theory, these are the most distinguished barrels from the lot and, as such, more rare than the typical bottling from the distillery. Look for MacKillop's or Gordon & Macphail.

If you are looking for wine, try your local independent wine shop. Some will put together packages to make shopping easy. Destination Cellars has put together some amazing holiday offerings which were hand selected to impress even the most discerning collector. You can view them here. Try to stay out of places like Costco and Bevmo as they typically carry a more broad brush selection and tend to lack the more small production wines with personality.

And what does this sommelier drink over the holidays? Typically lots of Champagne and rich, full-bodied wines like Napa Cabernet or selections from the Rhône Valley of France. Champagne is a celebration in a glass. Between its expressive nose, the vibrant fruit and the texture of the fine bubbles it is truly a wine for holiday cheer. The heavier reds always seem more appropriate in cold weather. There is nothing quite like a glass of delicious Cabernet Sauvignon by a roaring fire. But another way I love to celebrate the holidays is to keep beverage traditions alive. One of those great holiday traditions is Egg Nog.

Egg Nog has its origins in an old drink called Posset, a concoction of eggs, milk and ale. In fact the word Nog is shortening old English word for the mug strong ale (Grog) was consumed from (a Noggin) which explains the use in the current name of the drink. The use of spirits rather than ale started almost as a preservative. In an age without refrigeration, the alcohol kept the drink from spoiling. Typically Brandy was added but popular Sherry and Madeira were also common ingredients. When the recipe made its way to the U.S. rum was used as it was the most plentiful. Similar drinks can be found in several countries. Punch Coco in Martinique, Coquito in Puerto Rico, Rompope in Mexico and Biblia con Pisco in Peru name a few.

Below is an excellent recipe for traditional egg nog. It is certainly more labor intensive than some recipes but, trust me, the effort is well rewarded. Naturally, everyone should use common sense in the consumption of raw eggs. In the meanwhile, if anyone is interested in a recipe for cooked egg nog or would like any assistance picking out that bit of holiday cheer for someone special, please contact me by clicking here.

Ingredients
• 6 eggs - separated
• 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup sugar, plus about 1 Tablespoon extra set aside from the rest
• 3 cups of whole milk
• 5 ounces of Brandy, Bourbon, Rum or Spirit of Choice
• 2 teaspoon of nutmeg – freshly grated is always best but ground works as well

Equipment for Prep
• A KitchenAid stand mixer will make your job much easier but a hand mixer or even a whisk will do (if you need a serious work out).
• Two large bowls
• Nutmeg grater – Available at most specialty shops

Directions
Separate your eggs into the two bowls, yolks in the first bowl and whites in the second.

In the first bowl, beat the egg yolks together until they are mixed and lighter in color. Gradually add the ½ cup of sugar to the yolks, mixing until it is dissolved. Add the milk, cream, spirit of choice, and nutmeg. Stir the mixture gently to combine the ingredients.

In the second bowl beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Add your Tablespoon of sugar to the mixture while continuing to beat the whites to stiff peaks.
Stir the egg whites gently into the mixture in the first bowl and chill until serving time. It can be made a few hours ahead of time. In serving, spoon the mixture into your serving glass (I like martini glasses or the traditional Champagne flat.) and top with a dusting of nutmeg as garnish.

Custom Holiday Wine Packages.....Clark Claudon

We love the holidays, our winery partners like Clark Claudon love the holidays and so do our clients! Check out the custom boxes! We can help bring some "holiday cheer" to your front door step! Whether you're looking for that perfect business gift, gift for that perfect client or a great friend, we have some great things to offer!





Clark Claudon offering!

Three year vertical of 2005, 2006 & 2007 Cabernet each paired with it's own recipe from Chef Sarah Heller as well as tasting notes from our Estate Sommelier Sean Meyer! Let's call it dinner in a box! Happy Holidays!

Burgundy Harvest Update from Alex Gambal

We have just received the annual harvest update from our good friend Alex Gambal in Burgundy. Overall, Alex was excited to report that they had a successful harvest despite the many challenges that Mother Nature sent their way. Alex says of the vintage, “…contrary to what you might have heard we have had an EXCELLENT harvest. The upper case is on purpose.” In many ways, the challenges in Burgundy this year echo the difficulties in Napa. Cool weather at fruit set and early harvest storms mark this vintage as one to rely on the quality producers like Alex who made good decisions in the vineyards.

At the beginning of the growing season, ideally you want warm dry weather for flowering. In these ideal conditions, the self-pollinating grape vines are able to make perfect clusters of grapes. In Burgundy the flowering happened in June during a cold wet period. This inhibited the fruit set and crop yields were reduced from the beginning. The upside is that often with reduced yield comes increased quality as the vine is able to focus its energy into the clusters that remain. Because of this, France has laws which dictate maximum yields for its AOC wines.

In Burgundy, there is a tiered system with the yields for grand cru vineyards being the lowest. The yield for regional wines can be as high at 60 hectoliters per hectare (about 4 tons per acre) while grand cru sites are limited to 35-40 hectoliters per hectare (about 3 tons per acre). In the case of Alex Gambal, the premier cru vineyards coming in a yields well below grand cru standards like Las Maltroie in Chassagne which came in at a low 30 hectoliters per hectare. He even made a Bourgogne (the regional appellation) which came in at a stunning 24 hectoliters per hectare (1.26 tons per acre). As a benchmark for how that translates into production, 1 ton of fruit makes only about 50 cases of wine. Most producers in Burgundy found their total yields reduced as much at 50% which means that there will not be much wine to go around.


After the cool weather at fruit set, they had a very warm July which helped the grapes catch up after a slow start. August was, again, a little cooler and slowed ripening a bit. Then entire region was challenged with an early thunder and hail storm on September 12th. Alex Gambal commented “It is VERY unusual if not unprecedented to have hail this late in the season.” The hail primarily affected the village of Santenay. In many ways, this made the harvest a bit like the 2006 harvest as vintners had to react quickly to bring in fruit to keep it from turning on the vine. During strong storms the grape skin can burst leaving the fruit vulnerable to rot. For Gambal, the first grapes arrived on September 21st and harvest concluded on October 1st, a very compressed harvest time frame for Burgundy. He found his total production down by about one third both due to reduced crop and small berries.

The good news is that the wines are quite high in quality, particularly the red wines. Small berries, particularly in red wines, means more concentrated flavors. Alex had this to say, “The colors are amazing; very dark and the wines are well balanced...” He goes on to say of the red wines, “The reds remind me a bit of 2005; structured but balanced with an intense rich fruit. At this early stage lots of black cherry and cassis.” Many critics considered 2005 to be a benchmark year for red wines in Burgundy. With delicious wines and a substantially reduced quantity, many are expecting that the pricing may increase substantially with this vintage but time will tell how much. It may be a year to commit to quality producers early on pre-sale and watch the prices increase once the wines are safely in your cellar. To inquire about or acquire any of Alex Gambal’s delicious wines, feel free to contact us at wine@destinationcellars.com.

Napa Valley Harvest Update #4: Harvest is Complete

All of the fruit is in, the vines are dressed in dramatic yellows and reds and the ground is covered with a rich verdant robe and the rains once again return for the winter. The wines are being made or have been made and we can finally relax as, in most cases, nature's challenges were overcome and a lovely crop of elegantly styled wines are on their way to being complete. In many areas of Napa, the fruit was ripe and harvested before the early fall showers. For those who still had fruit hanging, it was a little scary as we had one of the most robust rainfalls we have ever had in October. Fortunately, that storm was followed by a week of dry weather, sun and moderate temperatures which helped dry out the vineyards and allow the grapes to settle back in to normal sugar levels. The last of the fruit came in on Friday October 30th right before a second round of storm moved in to saturate the valley once again.

In talking with several winemakers, it seems that many of the folks most excited about the vintage were in the mountain appellations, having steeply sloped vineyards with well-drained soils. It is in these locations that the rain would have minimal effect. The challenging thing about Napa weather is that in many of its appellations, there are several climates. Within the Howell Mountain appellation, I talked to Cabernet Sauvignon growers on opposite sides of the mountain though they are only about 1 mile apart. One brought in the last of his fruit on October 1st while the other brought the last of his fruit in on October 30th. With a month difference in harvest times within the same appellation and vineyards less than a mile apart, you can imagine the tremendous diversity of climate we enjoy here in Napa.

At its best, 2010 will be a elegant vintage with soft supple wines for early to mid-term consumption. Many vintners did all the right things and made extraordinary wines while some were not as fortunate. This is definitely a year to get the advice of a sommelier in making any new purchases while any estate with a tried and true reputation probably made delicious wine, largely due to good decisions in the vineyard. As ever, we are happy to be your trusted resource – your personal sommelier. If you have any questions about this or any vintage or perhaps are looking for a particular vintage to celebrate that special moment, please reach out to us at wine@destinationcellars.com.

Harvest Story from Montalcino, Tuscany....Altesino

Simply said, "We work with some of the best winery partners in the world." We want to thank the team from http://www.altesino.it/ for taking the time to send us some great information about harvest this year at the winery. To Sabine, Guido and Claudio, we raise our glasses to you! We hope to see you again soon!

Greetings from Altesino.....

We are sending you our best greetings from Altesino in Montalcino, after weeks of hard work in the vineyards harvesting thousands kilos of grapes, all the attention is now in the fermentation cellars.

For those of you who are not familiar with our winery, here is a small introduction. Altesino is situated in the southern part of Tuscany in Italy, in the small commune of Montalcino, where the Brunello di Montalcino is produced. The winery with the 90 acres of vineyards produces around 220.000 bottles of wines yearly where roughly half of those are Brunello di Montalcino.

The harvest this year has been very good, like always we are a bit worried the month of the harvest because the turnout of the weather has a big influence on the quality of the wine. After a quite cold and rainy spring and a hot June, the last weeks before the harvest and during the harvest has been excellent. The Consorzio of Brunello di Montalcino describes: “The weather during the month of September – apart from a few episodes - proved suitable for the ripening of the grapes, with good temperatures in the day time and fairly cool nights and therefore with a temperature difference between day and night, ideal for the ripening process”.

In the end of September we were able to start harvesting, the grapes are all handpicked in small basket of maximum 40 pounds – to avoid breaking the grapes and the fermentation to begin. When the grapes clusters arrive to the cellars, we take them through the destemmer and they will get sorted on a table before the grapes with the skins and seeds will go to the fermentation cellar.

Now the work has be continued in the fermentation cellar, but so far this years harvest have shown interesting characteristics of high quality products and with specific features that could prove to be the making of an extremely good vintage. Cheers!

Great relationship......

Over the last two years, we've had an amazing relationship with our partners http://www.exclusiveresorts.com/ - we've truly had the pleasure of taking care of some of their members, organizing wonderful wine events around the country, celebrating some fantastic milestones as we've both grown our business and overall we've made some great friends!

We just had the pleasure of signing a new partnership with Exclusive Resorts and we're looking for another solid year of "fun, travel, wine and memories". If you're not familiar with Exclusive Resorts, you should check them out. They will change your thinking about how you vacation and how you spend time with your family. Check them out at http://www.exclusiveresorts.com/ ! Cheers