October 26th Weekly Selections

Wine of the week
Santa Rita 120 Sauvignon Blanc 2008
Winemaker's comments : Our 120 Sauvignon Blanc is crisp and refreshing. It has aromas and flavors of citrus fruits such as grapefruit and lemon peel that lend a fresh balance to the tropical fruit character and the typical herbal notes from the 2% of semillón in the blend. Vibrant, fresh, deep, and well-rounded on the palate. Excellent as an aperitif or with seafood.  This wine has a fruity aroma, with a crisp, fruity with a nice acidity. Very light and easy to drink.

Beer of the week
Leinenkugel's Fireside Nut Brown
While the star of this holiday seasonal is the roasted malt character, the well-balanced flavor and brilliant amber tones give this a comforting approachability that you don’t experience in a traditional English-style nut browns. English two-row malts give this lager a maple aroma and pronounced chocolate, carmel and hazelnut top notes that dance around the palate before finishing gracefully. (Leinenkugel website) This beer was a big seller last year!

Spirit of the week
Jose Cuervo Black Medallion Tequila
This complex, flavorful anejo tequila is aged for twelve months in new charred oak barrels. The agave foundation is buried under aromas of oak extract, vanilla and dark caramel. The palate entry is concentrated and sweet, with no natural agave herbaceousness; the midpalate mirrors the manufactured sweetness of the entry. Finishes warm, woody and smoky-sweet. (Wine Enthusiast)

Cocktail of the week
Kahlua Black Cat

• 1 oz Kahlua
• 2 1/2 oz Vanilla Vodka
• 1/4 oz Sambuca
• Espresso beans for ganrish

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shacker filled with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with three espresso beans.

Simply D'Vine 2009 Top Ten Wines

The second annual Simply D’Vine food and wine-tasting event, held Friday night at the Avera Professional Pavilion in Yankton. The event, which drew more than 500 people, was a benefit for the Avera Sacred Heart Cancer Center. (Kelly Hertz/P&D)

This event had 78 different wines to taste, our top ten were chosen by reviewing the order forms.

1. Michael David Vineyards 7 Deadly Zins
2. Snoqualmie Vineyards Riesling
3. Cono Sur Bicycle Cabernet
4. Cline Cellars Cashmere
5. J Lohr Estates Baymist Riesling
6. J Lohr Estates Riverstone Chardonnay
7. Gnarly Head Old Vines Zinfandel
8. Cline Cellars Oakley 5 Reds
9. J Lohr Wild Flower Valdique
10. Kendall Jackson Estates Grand Reserve Cabernet

All of the wines featured at simply d'vine can be ordered from Hy-Vee in Yankton.

October 19th Weekly Selections

Wine of the Week
 Cypress Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

 This wine is made by South Dakota native & SDSU alumnus Jerry Lohr of J. Lohr Winery in San Jose, California. The 2007 Cypress Vineyards Cabernet is a very dark purple in color with youthful red hues. The wine has an attractive mix of jammy red fruits, black cherries, black currants, violets and spicy cigar box oak aromas. The palate is very plump and rich with a mouthful of varietal Cabernet fruitiness from start to finish. A Cabernet serious enough for the connoisseur, yet quaffable for anyone who enjoys a good glass of red wine, the 2007 Cypress Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon would be the perfect pairing for a roasted leg of lamb, or osso bucco. This wine should be enjoyed in its youth or cellared up to five years. My tasting notes: Med-bodied, with a smooth finish.

 

Beer of the Week
Michelob AmberBock

This is a very drinkable beer from Anheuser-Bush, Inc. The Smoothness, deep-dark color and a roasted malt taste that finishes clean are the hallmarks of this distinctive brew. Brewed using 100-percent malt—including dark-roasted black and caramel malts and all-imported hops—Michelob AmberBock has a unique, rich amber color and smooth, full-bodied taste. This beer is part of the Hy-Vee Seasons Ad that runs until the Oct. 28th making it a great time to give it a try.

Spirit of the Week
Cruzan rum cream

Rum cream is made of fresh dairy cream and Cruzan aged Light Rum, giving a smooth, clean and aromatic cream rum liqueur. The taste is rich, but light, with caramel, vanilla and other flavors and is best served as a cordial, over ice or mixed in hot and cold drinks. I thought this was very smooth and similar to an Irish cream in flavor and texture.

  

Cocktail of the Week
Mali-boo Witches Brew

• 1 ¼ oz Malibu Rum
• ¾ oz White crème de cacao
• ¼ oz Grapefruit juice
• ¾ oz Orange juice

 Combine ingredients in a shaker filled with ice. Shake well and serve into martini glass, garnish with Halloween gummy worms.

Heartbreak grape on TV

I was watching Top Chef on Bravo this last week and the episode was about pinot noir and pork. Now I really enjoy pinot noir, so I was disappointed that we don’t carry any of the ones used for the show, but we do have a wide selection from some regions mentioned on the show. The episode featured wines from Oregon, France and California. Pinot noir is a very hard grape to grow and is often called the heartbreak grape. There are often broad differences in color, flavor, and aroma between the wines of one producer and another. Yet, regardless of where or how it is grown, pinot noir always expresses itself in terms of texture and perfume. In fact, pinot noirs are described, more than any other wine, in sensual terms from the remarkably supple, silky textures and erotically earth aromas, to the in your mouth flavors of warm baked cherries, plum, damp earth, mushrooms, cedar, cigars, chocolate and many other flavors. Pinot noir is lighter in body, color and less tannic most reds which leads to people assuming the flavors are feeble, great pinots are just the opposite they are a study in subtlety and nuance. At a glance most pinots are a light colored; earthy; truffle-scented, light-to-dark cherry fruit lifted by vibrant acidity & supported on silky yet firm tannins and rarely any noticeable oak and should be served around 61F. Pinot noir pairs well with beef, lamb, veal, pasta, poultry, pork & seafood. Now with Simply D’Vine this Friday, you will have a great opportunity to try some great wines from all over the world, including several pinot noirs.

October 12th Weekly Selections

Wine of the Week
O'Reillys Irish Cream
O’Reillys is a wine based Irish cream that has the velvety texture and taste of its spirit-based Irish cream cousin, but with a softer, smoother finish from the use of wine vs. whiskey. Very easy to drink and it is a little lower in alcohol at 13.9%. I am waiting for an e-mail back about if this product is gluten free. I will post a comment once I get the answer.

Beer of the Week
Guinness 250 Anniversary
This beer has a dark brown, nearly black body with laser-red highlights. Up top, two fingers of creamy, dusty-tan head that sticks around for a while and leaves good lacing on the way down. It is medium bodied with flavors of roasted malt with nutty, chocolaty and dark-fruity notes with a drying finish.

Spirit of the Week
Most Wanted Pioneer Whiskey
This is an American blended whiskey, made by Seth Fox on a farm northwest of Kansas City. Pioneer whiskey is distilled at a 80 proof, higher than other whiskeys, and then aged in a seasoned whiskey barrel to further the development of a smooth, light taste. Some people have referred to this as a "White Dog Whiskey" (an unaged whiskey) that has been lightly aged for a few months.

Cocktail of the Week
Blood Red Sangria
• 1 bottle (inexpensive) red wine
• 12 oz Club Soda
• 2 oz Cognac (Brandy)
• 3 Tbs. Warmed Honey
• 4 Sliced Figs
• 1/2 Cup Red or Black Grapes, halved
• 1/2 Cup Pitted Cherries (Can be frozen)
• Ice
Combine the fruit in a large glass bowl, adding the cognac and honey until the honey is dissolved. Pour in the wine and stir gently. Refrigerate for a minimum of two hours and maximum of overnight. When ready to serve, pour mixture into a glass pitcher. You can strain the fruit out if you like and use it as a garnish later. Add the club soda and stir gently. Pour into a wine glass that is filled with ice.

Congratulations to Jay Wilson!

Our staff here at the Yankton Hy-Vee would like to congratulate Jay Wilson, assistant vice president of wine and spirits at Hy-Vee corporate, for being selected one of six Market Watch Leaders of 2009 by Market Watch magazine.

The magazine article talks about Hy-Vee's formula for success. Highlights of the article include Hy-Vee's hands-off approach to managing. Hy-Vee was founded in 1930 and is one of the nation's fastest growing grocers with 225 grocery stores in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota. Hy-Vee doesn't do any centralized buying, so that managers can mold their stores to their neighborhoods needs. Since there is no set corporate program Jay acts like an advisor to each store manager, by e-mailing new ideas and wine product information. His light authoriative touch has kept managers highly motivated and ensures that individual stores are merchandised to meet their specific customer needs.  In 2006, Jay started an exciting and innovative online wine study program that is the result of a ground breaking educational collaboration between Hy-Vee, the Society of Wine Educators, and the E&J Gallo Winery. The program is intended to allow employees to increase their core wine knowledge and enhance job performance. After completing the online program (which is about 100 hours of study), employees become a Hy-Vee Certified Wine Specialist. The program also helps to prepare them to successfully pass the SWE's Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) exam. Jay also started a program 10 years ago to help Hy-Vee build an array of wine and beer clubs.  Today, some stores have 300 members or more. Our Yankton store has about 200 members, which receive a 15% discount on a case of wine and 10% off of the wine of the month. Members also receive discounts on wine tasting sponsored by the store and Wine Spectator magazine.

Drink Beer or Wine, live longer

I ran across an article in Draft Magazine that talked about this study. A study by Dutch researchers suggests that beer can extend you life by as much as 2.5 years and wine can extend it by 5 yrs. The researchers cataloged the eating and drinking habits of 1,373 men for more than 40 years and found that men who had about 20 grams (0.7 ounces) of alcohol daily had 2.5 years added to their life expectancy at age 50, compared with those who didn’t drink at all. Check out bloomberg.com/apps/news to read the full article.

October Wine of the Month

German Wines
By Lynn Schieffer
The German passion for wine is paralleled by an equally strong passion for beer. So it might be easy to understand that Germany is considered one of the world’s top producers of elegant white wines.
The vineyards are at the northern most extreme of where grapes can ripen. The best vineyards are planted on the south-facing slopes to catch the light and warmth of every available sunbeam but yet the majorities are planted on the river valleys of the Rhine and Mosel. Although in a country as far north as Germany, the ripeness of grapes varies and affects the types of wines that are produced. With the short growing season the some of the grapes are left on the vine as long as possible where the ripe grapes freeze and that makes excellent eiswein. Hy-Vee Wine & Spirits has an eiswein called Nachtold Eiswein($23).


Present Your Regal Wine Club Card and Receive a 10% Discount on all German wines. Only available on non advertised wines. For More information about the Wine Club or how to join send an E-mail to hyveewineclub@gmail.com

October 5th Weekly Selections

Wine of the Week
El Toro Flaco Sangria
This refreshing sweet Sangria from the heart of Spain is sure to be a hit at any festivities. Let the skinny bull be the talk of your next fiesta. Has a very fruity and light body. Very easy to drink with a smooth finish. I give it two thumbs up, would be great for a party something to satisfy everyone.

Beer of the Week
Woodchuck Granny Smith
Made from only Granny Smith apples, this one's a lot more tart and quite a bit tangier than an average Woodchuck. If you're a green apple sort of person, this could be your woodchuck. This cider is also Gluten-free. I've tried this last summer and it tastes nothing like a beer it really reminded me a regular apple cider.

Spirit of the Week
Old Mr Boston Blackberry Brandy
Very dark reddish-amber hue. Artificial, candied blackberry aromas with a spirity edge. A sweet, rounded entry leads to a medium-bodied palate. Made with all-natural fruit flavors. Made with all-natural fruit flavors. Check out the following website to see Blackberry Brandy Benefits www.associatedcontent.com/article/1239085/blackberry_brandy_benefits.html

Cocktail of the Week
Vampire Kiss

• 2 parts Malibu Passion Fruit Rum
• 1 part Tonic water
• Splash of Cranberry juice

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with seasonal fruit.

Anti-Viral Abilities of Wine (Wine Spectator)

This article caught my eye, it talks about how red wine can help against virius like the common cold to H1N1.

Resveratrol Shows Anti-Viral Abilities Health News News & Features

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