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Monthly Archives: June 2013

Founding Fathers: In Cider, Beer and Wine, We Trust.

27 Thursday Jun 2013

Posted by in Beer, Independence Day, Spirits, Wine

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Independence Day, July Fourth, Madeira, Rum, rye whiskey, whiskey distillery, Wine

July 4th is Independence Day, a time to celebrate and reflect on our country and the freedom we have to pursue whatever our hearts desire – beer, hard cider, whiskey, rum and wine included! After all, we are just following the examples set by our Founding Fathers.

George Washington reenactor, Mount Vernon, Virginia

George Washington reenactor, Mount Vernon, Virginia

Let’s take George Washington for example. General in the Revolutionary War, winning against incredible odds. First President of the United States. Yeah, you’ve heard of this guy. But what you might not know is that George was a beer and whiskey lover. As proof, after finishing his second Presidential term and returning to his Mount Vernon estate, he built both a brewery and whiskey distillery. A handwritten recipe for his Mount Vernon Small Beer is preserved at the New York Public Library and has been used to try to recreate the original beer (a few modifications made it more beer-like).

The rye whiskey distillery produced around 11,000 gallons per year at peak capacity, one of the nation’s largest at the time, and was an important financial part of running Mount Vernon. President Washington, it turns out, was also quite the businessman. The Mount Vernon distillery has been resurrected over the past few years to revive an important historical aspect from the early days of this country. Using Washington’s recipe along with expertise provided by former Maker’s Mark Master Distiller James Pickerell, the distillery today makes something akin to what you might have tried several hundred years ago.

monticello_wine

Period bottle and wine glass, Monticello

Thomas Jefferson: author of The Declaration of Independence, U.S. Minister to France, First U.S. Secretary of State, Vice President, Third President. Oh, and one of the most knowledgeable people of the day about viticulture and wine. During his time as U.S. Minister to France, Jefferson visited the vineyards of France, Italy and Germany, acquiring favorites along the way to send back to his Monticello estate. He was known for having a world-class wine cellar and frequently entertained guests with his collection of Sauternes, Bordeaux, Riesling, etc. Jefferson also tried to plant his own vineyards, but his grapes were constant victims of phylloxera, a pest yet to be identified at the time. Jefferson enjoyed his wine, but considered himself a moderate drinker, consuming a few glasses with dinner only.

As was the case with Washington, historical parts of the Jefferson plans have been reestablished. Beginning in 1985, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation has brought his 1807 vineyard plans to fruition, planting pest-resistant grape varieties including many that Jefferson wrote about. In fact, the entire south vineyard was planted with Sangiovese, used to make Chianti and specifically mentioned by Jefferson.

Benjamin_FranklinBenjamin Franklin liked his beer. But he liked his wines even more. You know that often quoted Beer/Proof/God/Love phrase attributed to him? Yeah, it was really about wine. “Behold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards, there it enters the roots of the vines, to be changed into wine, a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy.” In addition to enjoying his drinks, Ben was always the witty observer of what they can do to you should you drink too much, creating and publishing a list of 220 terms that mean “drunk”. Did Ben “kiss black Betty” or have his “head full of bees” on rum? Nope. Ben preferred Madeira, a fortified wine from the Portuguese island it is named for. And Franklin wasn’t alone–Madeira was affordable, readily accessible, and enjoyed by many colonists of the day.

So did all of our founding statesmen, Presidents, and colonial leaders booze it up? Well, most enjoyed beer, wine, cider, rum, and/or whiskey … but not all. Benedict Arnold probably wasn’t a big proponent of drinking, considering his own father’s alcoholism, but he’s not exactly a shining example of 4th of July patriotism, either. And isn’t that what we are celebrating today? Let’s raise a glass and celebrate!

Total Wine Abroad: VinExpo 2013

18 Tuesday Jun 2013

Posted by in Tastings and events, VinExpo, Wine

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vinexpo 2013

Total Wine & More‘s Buying Team is spending the week in Bordeaux, France experiencing VinExpo, the world’s largest get-together for wine and spirits professionals. With 50,000 attendees and 2,400 booths, VinExpo is the ultimate event for the wine and spirits industry.

VinExpo_overview

Michelle Trone, daughter of Total Wine & More co-owner David Trone, will be checking in periodically this week with all the goings-on at this exciting event.

Here’s her first posting from day one and two …

Next to a picturesque lake, three enormous exhibition halls are packed full of booths set up by wineries, distilleries, and négotiants. Around every corner there seems to be another label to admire or another tasting booth stocked with the latest vintages and newest products. Standing at the entrance to the main exhibition hall, the 2,400 booths stretch so far that you can’t see the end.

David Trone with his favorite Champagne at VinExpo 2013, Bordeaux, France

David Trone with his favorite Champagne at VinExpo 2013, Bordeaux, France

The wine booths are organized by region and country, and feature everything from classic Bordeaux reds to lesser-known regions such as Romania and Turkey. Our team of wine experts is spending time at VinExpo strengthening our current relationships and building new ones. We arrived with certain goals in mind – such as expanding our selection of South African wines – while also just exploring and looking for new and interesting products.

Monday morning our team met with some of our favorite winemakers, learning more about the wines and the people behind them. We met with Noel Bougrier and his son, makers of the popular Vouvray V in the Loire Valley, and tasted some of their newest wines. Delicious! I spent the rest of Monday with our head Spirits buyer focusing on expanding our spirits selection, meeting distillers from all over the world and learning about products ranging from Japanese whiskey to cocoa vodka. My favorite meeting was with Scottish producers selling $15,000 whiskey … unfortunately we didn’t get to taste that one!

On day 2, I started off the morning by continuing our mission of expanding our spirits selection. Then we met with the Château Mouton Rothschild team – my favorite first growth Bordeaux. We discussed plans to send some of our top wine managers and store managers for a visit to Château Mouton Rothschild in May 2014 as part of Total Wine’s biannual staff education trip to France, and plans to have some of the Château Mouton Rothschild staff visit some of our stores for Meet the Maker events.

I was fortunate enough to join the Managing Director of VinExpo, Robert Beynat, Chairman of Vinexpo, Xavier de Eizaguirre, and nine other guests at a small private lunch, catered by a 2-star Michelin chef and featuring some truly spectacular wine from France and California. Another hard day at the office! Our intimate lunch included wine lovers from all parts of the industry (from winemakers to importers to retailers), most of whom had been coming to VinExpo since before I was born. Their passion for the wine and for VinExpo showed through in their conversation, which ranged from a discussion of how the recovery of the American economy was impacting French wine exports to the successes and struggles of other VinExpo events, which have been held in Hong Kong and the US.

Adrien Duboeuf-Lacombe, Michelle Trone, Georges Duboeuf and David Trone at VinExpo 2013, Bordeaux, France

Adrien Duboeuf-Lacombe, Michelle Trone, Georges Duboeuf and David Trone at VinExpo 2013, Bordeaux, France

After lunch, several members of our wine buying team met with Georges Duboeuf, the King of Beaujoulais, for a tasting of several of his newest wines. We also ran into Georges Duboeuf’s grandnephew, Adrien (a former Total Wine intern) who is now Duboeuf ‘s Director of Exports for Beaujolais Nouveau in Asia and South America. I finished off the day with a glass of wine with Jean-Charles Boisset, the largest landowner in Burgundy and owner of numerous vineyards through California. We tasted an exquisite blend of three of his finest estates in Burgundy and two of his estates in Napa Valley – a unique combination of the best of America and the best of France.

It was a busy first two days, and by the end of it I was exhausted from running back and forth across the gigantic exposition halls. I learned the importance of never wearing heels to wine expositions, and more about wine and spirits in two days than I thought was possible. I’m looking forward to Day 3!

Profiles in Gin: G&J Greenall

15 Saturday Jun 2013

Posted by totalwineandmore in Spirits

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Gin, Producer Profile, World Gin Day

Greenalls_LogoG&J Greenall is a distillery in Warrington, England with a 250 year heritage of making quality gins. In 1760, Distiller Thomas Dakin bought property there, but his problem was that there was a law against distilling gin due to grain shortages at the time. However, that law was repealed the next year in 1761, and he was able to start distilling right away. His focus was quality, hand-crafted gin, and his Dakin’s Warrington was a success.

greenalls_stillsNearly one hundred years later, in 1860, after the death of Thomas Dakin’s son Edward, Edward Greenall leased the distillery and named it Gilbert and John Greenall after his two younger brothers. He continued to use the original gin recipe. In 1894, G&J Greenall was incorporated. Tomas Dakin’s original gin was renamed to Greenall’s, though the original recipe again remained intact. In 1923, Greenall Whitley, a dominant brewer and pub owner controlled by a different branch of the Greenall family, purchased G&J Greenall and established a diversified family business.

In 1960, G&J Greenall relocated to a larger facility on Loushers Lane in Warrington just in time to celebrate the company’s bicentennial. Greenall’s Original Gin thrived over the next several decades. G&J Greenall’s reputation for producing quality gins during that period helped them establish a portfolio of 3rd party contract gins including Bombay Dry, Bombay Sapphire and several supermarket brands.

Joanne Moore, master distiller G&J Greenalls

Master Distiller Joanne Moore

In 1996, current Master Distiller Joanne Moore joined the company, first working in the laboratory and quality control departments. She spent the next ten years learning, apprenticing, and creating new gin recipes under the previous head distiller. Joanne was promoted to Master Distiller in 2006 upon his retirement.

The year prior to that promotion in 2005, the distillery had a devastating fire that destroyed a large part of the facility. The stills, however, were saved and production commenced again only a week later! G&J decided to build new still houses in a different Warrington location at that time as well.

Since becoming Master Distiller, Joanne continues to remain responsible for distilling the original Greenall’s London Dry Gin.

botanicals_greenallsGreenall’s Original is a traditional London Dry Gin with a rich yet not overly complex balanced flavor profile. Searching through the botanical lesson on the company’s site, Greenall’s is made with at least eight different botanicals: juniper berries, almonds, angelica root, cassia bark, coriander seeds, lemon peel, licorice root and orris root. That combination of botanicals offers a gin that has juniper balanced by spicy citrus flavors. a gin for the everyday moment, delicious and refreshing served as part of a classic Gin & Tonic.

bloom_gin_smallerBloom is also a London Dry Gin, but created in a way that softens the flavors and adds floral elements – aromas much like English country gardens! Chamomile, pomelo peel, and honeysuckle flowers are the three botanicals that make this gin unique; juniper berries, angelica root, coriander seeds, and cubeb are also used. The pomelo provides a rich orange citrus freshness, the honeysuckle flowers a sweet honey, and the chamomile a calming floral flavor. It is recommended to be served with strawberries and tonic.

Check out some of our favorite World Gin Day cocktails here!

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