“The first rule of WINE CLUB is… ALWAYS talk about WINE CLUB!”
The Wine buyers (Andrew and Dale) pick two wines each month for you that we love, and you will too. One white (or rose, or bubbly) and one red. The total value of wines will exceed $40 (usually between $45 and $50) and the longer you sign up for, the better the deal! (see below for pricing and perks)
Zinck Pinot Blanc, Alsace France 2014
“A vibrant, zesty Alsatian Pinot Blanc with an assertive acidic attack on the palate. Aromas of white grapefruit and lime. Pair with shellfish.
Notions of baked Mirabelle plums lend their full-fruited aspect to nose and palate. Their softness is countered by fresh, lively crispness. This is friendly, refreshing and fruit-driven. The vines for this Alsatian white wine are planted in the silt soils of Eguisheim developed by Philippe Zinck. Very dry and mouth-watering.”
The most important reason we choose this as one of the December wines is… Fondue!!
In the Benjamin family cold weather means it is time for melted cheese. Alsatian Pinot Gris is a perfect match! Dick and Sally Benjamin spent several years living in Switzerland and returned with their “Echter Schweitzer Fondue” (Real Swiss Fondue) recipe.
I’ve added the recipe below, with a few comments from me.
Another fun thing about Pinot Blanc from Alsace, is that it can age very well! We had one from 1990 with a fondue last week and it was amazing.
other Pinot Blanc food pairings: salmon rice bowl, Thai shrimp, chicken caesar.
Northstar Merlot, Columbia Valley, Washington 2011
Merlot is making a comeback, led by wonderful wines from Washington state. Northstar was founded in the early 1990s and focuses on Merlot. Dale and I loved this when we tasted it, and know that you will too!
“The 2011 vintage has rich concentrated aromas of cherry, raspberry and chocolate that lead into flavors of cinnamon and vanilla. It is subtle and soft with a lingering toasted oak finish. This wine was created to enjoy now, or for many years to come as it will age gracefully. Diversity of vineyards and sub-appellations within the Columbia Valley are Northstar’s hallmarks. Fruit is selected from the very best possible sources throughout the Columbia Valley. Winemaker David “Merf” Merfeld works closely with each grower to achieve specific fruit quality and yield parameters. Vines average 15 years old and yield grapes with concentrated varietal flavors of cherry and plum with elegant tannins. Fruit from more than 10 separate vineyards and 14 different blocks contributed to the blend.”
Blend: 78% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot
Critical Acclaim
TP90
Tasting Panel – “Smooth and elegant with juicy plum and berry fruit; balanced, lush and long; medium weight, supple and rich.”
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Echter Schweizer Fondue (Real Swiss Fondue)
Dick and Sally Benjamin {with Additional Comments by Andrew Benjamin}
{You’ll need a Fondue Pot! Paderno World Cuisine Fondue Set or Swissmar Fondue Set}
Quantities are per person as a main course
Ingredients
~1/3 pound of coarsely grated Swiss-style cheese per person
We like about half Gruyere(or more) and half other Swiss (e.g., Emmental, Appenzel) or Swiss-style cheeses. {We have been using Fontina as the secondary cheese, and a little Havarti as a third cheese} But there are many possible variations (including all Gruyere). You may try the Swiss-styled cheeses from other countries such as Jarlsberg from Denmark or Comte or Fol Epi from France. We like to add a bit of softer creamier mild cheese such as Havarti for a smoother mixture.
~ 5 ounces of dry white wine per person
Select a dry, fairly acidic, relatively neutral (not very fruity) white wine with no oak. {We used a Picpoul de Pinet recently and the Fondue was amazing, another good, and very inexpensive one is La Ville Ferme Blanc} (Swiss wines such as Fendant, Aigle, or Dezaley are ideal, but hard to find and much too expensive.) We like Grüner Veltliner (from Austria), white blends or Pinot Blanc from Alsace, crisp Sauvignon Blancs, crisp Pinot Grigios from Italy. A good shellfish white is usually a good fondue wine. Many California wines are too fruity and not acidic enough for good fondue.
~1½ teaspoon of cornstarch (1-4 people).
~1 ½ jigger of Kirschwasser (1-4 people) cherry brandy – the distilled firewater, not a sweet liqueur.
{most importantly, you are looking for firewater, not a flavored liqueur, European fruit brandy works perfectly, we’ve used moonshine to add a little local flavor, even something like Paul Masson white brandy will work in a pinch}
1 large clove of fresh garlic
½ fresh lemon (seeded)
A ceramic Fondue pot, and a stand with an alcohol burner
A slotted wooden stirring spoon {needs to be wooden, but slotted is not necessary}
A loaf of French or Italian bread with a hard crust, not too fresh, cut into ~1 inch cubes. Each cube must have some crust to hold the Fondue fork. {day old is best}
Rub the inside of the Fondue pot with cut garlic and put about ½ of the garlic clove, very finely diced, in the bottom of the pot. Add about three-fourths of the wine and put the pot on a gas or electric range at medium-high heat. When the wine just begins to bubble, begin putting the cheese in, stirring with the slotted wooden spoon. As the cheese melts, add more cheese until all of the cheese is in solution. Continue stirring. Add the juice of ½ lemon, and then the cornstarch mixed well with 1½ jiggers of Kirschwasser. Continue stirring. If the mixture is too thick, add some of the retained wine. If, after a few minutes, the mixture is too thin, add a bit more cornstarch well-mixed with Kirschwasser. If it separates, add more lemon juice.
Put the burner in the middle of the table and put the bubbling pot on the burner. Use immediately (or have someone continue stirring). If you wish something more than bread, serve small Gerkins, small cocktail onions, or thin-sliced salami. Fun!
{we like prosciutto! Also, pour some of the Firewater you used with the cornstarch in a shot glass for each diner, dip your bread in quickly before stirring it in the pot, and… when you eat it… WOW! aaand… If you are careful to stir in a circle around the edges of the pot, a crust will form in the middle, at the end of the meal you can scrape the crust from the bottom of the pot carefully with a fondue fork and split it for a special burnt cheese treat}
Fondue isch güet und git a güete lüüne.
Switzertutsch (Zurich area)
(Fondue is good and gives a good feeling.)
Here’s the price structure of WINE CLUB:
3 months $40/month = $120 and you also receive a FREE Riedel glass
6 months $36/month = $216 and you also receive two FREE Riedel glasses
12 months $32/month = $384 and you also receive four FREE Riedel glasses
All WINE CLUB members get a substantial discount on Wine Tasting Seminars at Wine World (usually 25%)
WINE CLUB members get a 15% Case discount when you pick up your club wines, since you are picking up 2 you only need to pick 10 more wines to make it a case!
Sign Up Now!
Come by the shop, 133 Georgia Ave. North Augusta, SC 29841
or give us a call at 803.279.9522
