Category: Wine

On Colonial Spirits of Acton’s wine blog page, you will find posts from our team of wine experts. Topics range from trends in the wine industry, appreciation for and personal recollections of wine, and debates on the growing and production of wine. Good wine blogs cannot exist without the participation of our friends and customers, so we invite you to get in on the discussion and post your reactions to our entries. You can also jump over to our beer blog if brew is your thing. And if wine and beer are not your cup of tea (or alcohol), check out our liquor blog for thoughts and opinions on all things spirits. Whatever topic in the liquor industry interests you, Colonial Spirits wants you to join the conversation. Post here or contact us with questions, suggestions, and comments. Or feel free to come in to meet us at one or our weekly wine tasting events. Leave the computer behind and talk to us face to face about your favorite wine, while sampling new and old vintages alike.

Out of the Shadow and into Your Glass: Owen Roe ‘Ex Umbris’ Syrah 2010!!

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There are plenty of great domestic Syrah, the only issue is they cost more than what most people want to spend on a bottle of wine.  That is why I am exuberantly happy to say that Owen Roe ‘Ex Umbris’ Syah, Columbia Valley 2010 is in.  One of the greatest domestic Syrah which happens to be plush with flavors of dark plums, cherries, sarsaparilla and cream, alongside hints of cherry, tobacco and peppery bacon.  This wine will mature beautifully over the next 5 years and will continue to drink well for an additional 3-5 .  Can you believe you can get all of this for under $30?  The last vintage of  Ex Umbris received a score of 93 from the Wine Spectator and also happened to be the #25 of the Top 100 list.  Although this is the 2010 and not the 2009, do not worry because 2010 is supposed to be as good if not better (I was told first hand by a few WA state winemakers) than 2009.  I only have 9 cases available so act quickly, prices will go up once people catch on to this wine, especially if it receives another high score.

$28.99 per bottle

If you would like some put aside please feel free to email or call.

Seeing with Beer Goggles

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For those who aren’t aware, my position in the store changed recently, I moved to a new role as the craft beer buyer.  Of course, Tim remains very involved with the beer department that he essentially constructed, but there’s a new set of eyes looking at everything we do with beer now.

Of course, my background in wine is fairly extensive, while my knowledge of beer is still being developed, and so I’m taking great care to think about the beers that I drink in order to better understand their character and use.  The great difference that I have observed is that the world of wine is governed by terroir, the concept of a wine’s “sense of place”, but this is not the case with beer, where everything is governed by process. Continue reading Seeing with Beer Goggles

Your Thoughts on Washington Cabs…

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I want to know what everyone thinks about Washington State Cabs.  If you have recently asked me to recommend a Cab, you more than likely heard me mention how I think WA Cabs outshine CA cabs and how they will some day get more attention than their CA counterparts.  I still believe it to be true, but before I go forward in my plans to expand our WA cabs and cut back on our CA cabs, I want to know what everyone else thinks.

Please feel free to argue and fight for either side.  There are great points for both sides and, believe me, I have heard them all, but I never hear it from our customers.  I know of a few customers that support me and want to see more WA cabs in our store. I also know that there are a few that would love nothing more than to see more CA cabs in our store, especially rare ones.  But unfortunately we do not have ever growing floor space that allows for expansion of all sections, so we have to make decisions about where our store is going and how we are going to get there.  Who better to tell us than our customers!  You know what you like and what wines you would like to see in our store, so please let us know what you think and what our next step should be.

Nic C

2012: The End of the World

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The Mayans predict that the world will come to an end in 2012. At Colonial Spirits, we thought this would be a great time to discuss what drink we’d want to go out with. In this video, Nicolay, Nic, and Tim tell us what they’d be sipping on that final day. Nicolay would enjoy a Champagne. Nic opts for a Riesling. And Tim chooses an India Pale Ale.

Please let us know what would be your last drink, too!

 

A little German

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Most of you know me as an advocate for the wines of Alsace when it comes to riesling, but even I have to admit that Germany produces some stunning rieslings.  Germany has recently been blessed with a string of good vintages, it seems that year after year German vintners are having great success in making consistently good wines worthy of aging.  Rieslings can range from dry to gently sweet to really sweet, from the Mosel, the Rheinhessen, and the Pfalz, all of good to great quality and affordable.  In fact, the Germans themselves drink mostly dry wines.  Rieslings can also age extremely well (white Burgundy aren’t the only ones that have that ability) and can pair well with a number of different dishes (not just the usual pork, seafood, poultry, etc…).

Many consumers find it difficult though to understand what style of riesling they’ll find when they pick up a bottle of German riesling.  With this in mind, I thought I’d take the opportunity to run through some basics on German wines, particularly what’s on the labels.

To help you with some German, here’s a basic sweetness/richness guide for German wines… Continue reading A little German

Cigars anyone?

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You might find it odd that I’m writing about cigars instead of my co-worker Dave, but I thought it would be appropriate given the time of year.  This is the time of year that people look to get the best gift possible for that special someone.  Even if it’s not for a special someone, a nice gift still wouldn’t hurt.  Why not a buy a cigar with your next bottle of port, sherry, Madeira or red wine?  Getting a friend, co-worker or boss a nice bottle of wine is great, but if you happen to know they also smoke a cigar every once in a while, why not make the gift better?  It doesn’t cost much, and it makes the gift that much nicer.

Pairing a cigar with the right wine is like pairing food with wine, you have to know the characteristics of the cigar (as you must with a dish of food), so that you can complement those characteristics with the appropriate wine.  There are bold, rich cigars that necessitate a rich wine, while on the contrary there are mild, soft cigars that require a delicate wine.  There are even aged cigars that should be paired with older wines.  Ever had a nice Cuban cigar while sipping on a glass of 30yr old port?  If not, you are missing out… at least that is what I hear.  It’s true that a good scotch or cognac goes well with cigars, but why do the same old thing when you could try something new.  Isn’t that what life is about? Continue reading Cigars anyone?