Here are the TOP 5 Items for a ghoulish Halloween.

#1 Crystal Head Vodka. This has to be number 1, well, because it is Vodka in a skull. I am not sure you can get more Halloween-ish than that. Crystal Head Vodka $59.99 + deposit.

#2 Dead Guy Ale. Considered by many as the best beer in the world, this is made by the Rogue Brewery from Bend, Oregon. Available in 650ml bomber $7.99 or 6 pack bottles $18.99 +deposit.

#3 Devil Wines. These are also known as Casillero del Diablo. These are the icon wines of the Concha Y Toro winery or Chile. There is a Merlot &  Shiraz. The name translates into Cellar of the Devil. How appropriate for today. Price ranges from $13.99 to $14.99.

#4 The Bloody Mary Cocktail. An American favourite that is made just like a Ceasar but with Tomato juice instead of Clamato. Given that you are mixing all sorts of flavours and weights, the best Vodka to use is the least expensive. My specific recommendation is Banff Ice 750ml $21.99 (Liquor Plus Best Everyday Price- BC Government Liquor Store price $23.00)

#5 Phillips Amnesiac Double IPA. Why? Because Halloween is one of those nights that we dress up and become someone else for a while- we forget ourselves. Secondly depending on what you do to night you might want to forget tomorrow. Phillips Brewing Amnesiac Double IPA $5.29 +deposit.

I define these wines simply as those that are truly a delight to revel in their flavours without needing to have food. These kind of wines need to have soft, sweet tannins (little to no pucker) that carry the flavours right through the finish.

#1 Champagne. There is just something so sinfully luxurious about true Champagne. Many will feature more fruity flavours, some more toasty flavours, but all can be enjoyed with simply a smile on the face and air to breath. My specific recommendation Charles Heidsieck Champagne $59.99 + deposit

#2 Cremant D’Alsace. This is also a sparkling that is made in the Alsace region of France. A lot of similarities to Champagne, but 1/2 the price.

My specific recommendation is Zinck Cremant D’Alsace $28.99 + deposit

#3 Australian Shiraz from the Barossa or McLaren Vale. Big rip Aussie Shiraz is one of the most purely hedonistic wines around. Opulent, round gobs of black and dark fruits, hints of baking spices… did I say GOBs of fruit flavours. My specific recommendation is Finders & Seekers 2006 Barossa Shiraz $18.99 + deposit

#4 Argentine Malbec. It is not a big step to go from Aussie Shiraz to Argentine Malbec. Both have a lot of similarities including lush dark fruit flavours. Malbec generally has more savoury spices and even leathery notes than does Shiraz but they are equally enjoyable. My specific recommendation is Yauquen Malbec $19.99 + deposit.

#5 Balanced Chardonnay. For years Chardonnay has been attacked for being too oaky. Get over it! The wineries have heard you. Most are now so nicely balanced between fruit, acidity, and oak ageing that you can not tell that oak has touched them. Fruit flavours can range from fresh Delicious or Gala Apples to mouth watering pineapple and tropical fruits. These are balanced with hints of vanilla or clove spice. Yum! My specific recommendation is Billyrock Station Chardonnay $12.99 +deposit.

TOP 5 will be a segment on our new website when we are up and running as well as the content for a periodic e-mail to our members club members (to join send click on this link http://www.liquorplus.ca/memberreg.php?frompage=ecentre.php or send me an e-mail to askrod@liquorplus.ca and I will add your e-mail to the list).

The TOP 5 is intended to be fun and informative, so please send me your suggestions for the TOP 5 and I will put them together.

TOP 5 WINES FOR COMFORT FOOD: Pizza

Tough category as there seems to be as many types of Pizza as there are wines. Here are the TOP 5 Wines for the most popular of Pizzas including Peperoni, Hawaiian, ‘House’ Special & Meat Lovers.

# 1 2006 Chianti. Almost anything from the Chianti Region of   2006  is fantastic. Probably the best vintage in a generation. The wines are deep, full of flavour while maintaining acidity levels necessary to go well with food. My specific recommendation is the Montellori 2006 Chianti D.O.C.G. $16.99 + deposit.

# 2 Wines made with Barbera. Barbera is a grape grown in many places in the world but it’s home is in the Piedmonte Region of Italy. Ripe black and red cherry flavours, hints of almonds, lively acidity, well made Barbera leaves your mouth watering. My specific recommendation if the Arduini Barbera D.O.C. $14.99 + deposit.

#3 Wines made with Grenache. Grenache hails from Spain and the South of France (Rhone & Languedoc), but also grows really well in Australia. Ripe fruit flavours of raspberry, blueberry and cranberry with savoury tones of sage and lavender. My specific recommendations are either Costa de Oro Red (Spain) $12.99 +deposit or Rosemount Road Red (Australia) $11.99 +deposit.

#4 Wines from Southern Portugal.Most of these wines are blends of native Portuguese grapes like Castelao and Touriga Nacional, and they are very soft and supple. They are perfect with Pizza, but are also made to work with fish like halibut or cod. My specific recommendation is Portuga Tinto (Red) $12.99 + deposit.

#5 Un-Oaked California Merlot. California Merlot is often loaded with juicy plummy flavours and a touch of black pepper. When they are un-oaked (generally lower in price) the fruit comes through and makes this a great sipper for Pizza. My specific recommendation is Redwood Creek Merlot $13.99 + deposit.

I look forward to your thoughts and suggestions for future TOP 5’s

Cheers

Rod Phillips – Buyer

You have all heard the saying variety is the spice of life? For the world of wine this means selection; alas perhaps not for the reasons you may think. In the world of wine selection provides context and detail.

For example, Cabernet Sauvignon is grown all over the world by different growers, at different altitudes, in different soils, in different climate, therefore tasting one Cabernet Sauvignon is like look at a block of marble before it has been crafted into a magnificent sculpture. Yet tasting many Cabernet’s from different regions, climates, soil, growers and winemakers will provide greater context; the sculpture will have a form. Not all ’strokes’ will be perfect, yet each stroke refines the sculpture. It is for this reason that I believe that we live in the best place on earth to explore the variety of wine.

In. B.C. like in France, Italy, Chile, California & Australia, we have a vibrant wine growing and winemaking industry. Unlike those regions here in B.C. 75% of all the wine sold is imported. In France 5% of all the wine sold is imported, in California it is 8%, and in Australia, only 2% of all wine sold is imported. What this means is that we here in B.C. have right in front of us all the tools necessary to enjoy one of the best things about wine- exploration.

I may be a cork dork, but I get excited at the idea of having 100+ Rieslings from all over the world at my finger tips to enjoy. If  you haven’t taken the steps to explore you are missing one of the best things about wine.

In the coming weeks you will see blogs and weekly e-mails that offer my Top Pick of the Week Overall, Top Pick of the Week Under $15 and Top Exploration Pick. If you want to receive the e-mails please just drop me a line at askrod@liquorplus.ca and I will make it so.

Early next year we should have our new website up that will coordinate the blog and e-mail, but in the meantime drop me a line.

Cheers

Rod Phillips – Buyer

I remember working as a server at Il Terrazzo when it first opened in the early 90’s. Even though the wine list, as it is today, was one of the best with the most extensive red wine selection, we could not give red wine away. In the 90’s white wine dominated sales to the tune of 85% of all wine sales were white wines. It was cool to order a ‘dry white wine’ but so few people knew what that meant. The glass could contain any white wine, including sweet German Rieslings, as long as the consumer believed that it was ‘dry white wine’.

Sometime in the mid to late 90’s the tide turned, and red wine became dominant. At first it was a fascination of wines like Beaujolais (Gamay Noir), Chianti’s (Sangiovese & Canaiolo), Burgundy (Pinot Noir) and Barbarescos (Barbera D’Alba or Barbera D’Asti). From there people started looking for the biggest, boldest most full flavoured red wine there was. 90% of all sales were red wine, and of those 60%+ were Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and blends thereof. It had to be black in the glass and leave your teeth looking purple.

Today wine sales are more balanced with red wine still having the edge with 55% of sales over whites. Here is the interesting part; sales volumes for both red & white have increased. Sales for the big ‘blockbuster’ reds have flattened, which means that once again, delicate, food friendly reds like Barbera & Chianti have grown significantly.

I believe that people are enjoying more wine with food and are thus looking for wines that work better with the foods we commonly enjoy.

 Comfort foods around our house include Pasta’s, Chicken Wings, Roasted Chicken, casseroles, and hearty soups. Like most people we can’t afford to have a different wine with each course, and given that we enjoy everyday it has to be affordable. Enter wines that are balanced in terms of fruit flavours, offer some savoury flavour components, aren’t extremely puckering (tannin), but leave the mouth feeling fresh and ready for the next bite. As mentioned above, wines in this category include Barbera, Chianti, Valpolicella, Grenache, Gamay and Pinot Noir. My current fascination is with Chianti and Barbera.

Both are very versatile and work with most comfort foods. I especially like the Arduini Barber D’Asti.

Deep ruby red in colour, with aromas of fresh crushed red cherry, blueberry and even cranberry. Savoury tones include some earthy-ness and hints of sage. The tannins are nice and soft – no puckering- as long as you let it breathe for a 15-20mins before enjoying.

The real quality of this wine is, however, its acidity. Bright fresh and clean.

I happily put this in my glass when I have roasted chicken with some rosemary, any pasta, most pizza, aged/strong cheeses, and any soup made with chicken stock.

Again the trick is to let it breathe first and then enjoy.

Price: $14.99/bottle + deposit

Service: Let breathe (open and let stand) for 15-20min before serving.

Availability: 120 bottles Liquor Plus Royal Oak, 107 Bottles Liquor Plus Douglas, and 72 bottle Liquor Plus Saanich

I am so pumped for this one. It is not too often that we get to taste Highland Park or Macallan Single Malts, but to Gerry Tosh take us through the line up is the icing on the cake. Gerry was recently awarded the coveted Whisky Ambassador of the Year Award so you know he is a show in and of himself.

The tasting will start promptly at 3pm and go until about 5pm.

Here is the confirmed line up for the night:

Flight 1: Macallan 12yr ($82), Macallan 15yr ($120), Macallan 21yr ($400 – Special Order), Macallan 18yr ($225 – Special Order) – presented by Jay Wheelock of Beam Global.

Flight 2: Highland Park 12yr ($70), Highland Park 15yr ($110 – Special Order), Highland Park 18yr ($160), Highland Park 30yr ($400 – Special Order) – presented by Gerry Tosh – Whisky Ambassador of the Year.

There are only 20 seats available. Tickets are $10/head plus Eventbrite service fee of $1.40, all ticket revenues will be donated to our feature charity the Greater Victoria Down Syndrome Society’s Music and Speech Therapy programs. Here is the link to reserve your seats: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/466236526

I hope to see you there…

Cheers

Rod Phillips- Buyer

Thank you all for you generous support of our Fundraiser for Matthew Williams whose battle with Leukemia has been made a little easier through your generous donations.

Thanksgiving and fall are traditionally the time where we take stock of the bounty that has come from the harvest. We sit down to great dinners whose spirit wraps us up like a favourite blanket.

Part of that ‘blanket’ is the hugs I get from my youngest daughter, Chloe. If you were to see her walking down the street you would be able to smile as she passed you as she likely has greeted you with her voice ‘hello- look my daddy.’

As you passed by with a smile on your face you may think what a cute little toddler, and you would be right. The only difference is that Chole is 5 years old and has Down Syndrome. As such she is little smaller than other kids, she is tough to understand sometimes, but she can warm a room in seconds.

Down Syndrome is genetic, and people with Down Syndrome have 1 more chromosone than the rest of us. The manifestations include delayed mental development, which includes speech and, of course, learning. There is no cure but there are therapies that help Chloe and her friends in developing their speech, social skills, and learning capabilities.

Like any therapy there is a cost. From Oct. 9 through November 11, 2009 we will be raising funds at the till and through the sale of specific products found in our stores. All the money raised will go to cover some of the cost of Speech and Music Therapy for kids, teens and adults with Down Syndrome.

Selected products (see below) will be on sale for $1.00 of the regular price. When you purchase these products, the suppliers of these products will contribute $1.00 for every unit sold to the Greater Victoria Down Syndrome Society, through whom Speech and Music Therapy is offered.

Thank you so much for your support and purchases.

Rod Phillips – Buyer, Liquor Plus

Participating Products:

Spirits

Alberta Pure Vodka 750ml – Beam Canada LTD.

Alberta Premium Rye Whisky 750ml – Beam Canada LTD.

Jim Beam Kentucky Bourbon 750ml – Beam Canada LTD.

Wine

Wolf Blass Yellow Label Cabernet Sauvingon 750ml – Fosters Canada LTD.

Little Penguin Shiraz 750ml – Fosters Canada LTD.

Gabbiano Chianti 750ml – Fosters Canada LTD.

Beer

Bud Light Lime 12 Cans – Labatt Breweries LTD.

 

more to follow in the coming weeks….

Special Thanks to:

Scott from Fosters Canada

Michelle & Micky from Fosters Canada

Mike, Lauren and Al from Labatt Breweries.

Thanksgiving dinner is not only a great time to get together with family and friends, it is also a meal that I crave throughout the year.

This is a meal that often starts with appetizers. Some of the most common are prawns rings, crab dip, various cheeses including Cheddar, Brie & Gouda, perhaps some salsa and chips. Anyway there is a bevy of stuff on the table, and this is all followed  by a heavenly combination of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and tryptophan that rests upon one plate.

Most traditional Thanksgiving dinners, include Turkey (or if you are my Mom’s the ‘Best Bird Ever’), potatoes or yams, some veggies like peas, brussel sprouts, carrots, even parsnips, and, of course, stuffing & cranberry sauce.

The combination of flavours, weights and acids makes this a very difficult meal with which to pair wines. The wines need to be versatile and this means the perfect balance between fruit, spice, acidity, body and tannin. Big ‘fruit bombs’ and high alcohol wines will fall flat and either the meal or the wine will be come one dimensional.

Below is a list of my Top Picks for Thanksgiving 2009. Each represent great value for the price and all are affordable. I will post a separate blog that focuses on 6 terrific wines under $13 that would also work well with Thanksgiving dinner. I have made a special notation for the wines that will be featured at the Tweetup Tasting on Thursday Oct. 8, 2009.

THE APPETIZER COURSE

As mentioned above Thanksgiving appetizers are usually done buffet or Tapas style which means a whole bunch of flavours, weights and acids in little bite-sized pieces.

As many of you already know I am a big believer in Sparkling wine with the first course of any meal. I find that when I start with some bubble, my palate is ready to go and accepting of a wider range of flavours. I liken a glass of sparkling wine before the main meal to that of stretching before going for a long run.

This year my Top Pick is the Ca’ Del Re Prosecco from Italy.

This is a wonderfully balanced sparkling wine made in North Eastern Italy from the Prosecco grape. What has made Prosecco so popular around the world over the last couple of years is its sheer approachability. Fresh fruit flavours like pear and apple combine with some floral notes, like honeysuckle and orange blossom, to make this a delight to drink. the mousse, or bubbles, are crisp and not harsh which allows the fruit and floral flavours to work with the texture instead of against it.

Easy to drink with a wide assortment of foods this should grace everyone’s table this Thanksgiving.

Service: Chilled by not cold. Around 4C. If there is condensation on the bottle when removing from the fridge, let it sit for a few minutes before serving.

Price: $17.99/bottle +deposit

Availability: Imported exclusively for Liquor Plus. Liquor Plus Douglas 120 bottles, Liquor Plus Royal Oak 80 bottles, Liquor Plus Saanich 60 bottles.

Feature Product at Victoria Tweet Up Thursday Oct. 8, 2009

THE MAIN EVENT

Either I can’t make a decision, I want it all or I just love the variety of flavours so I can often be found to have two glasses in front of me. One for white and one for red.  Here is a list a few whites and a couple of reds that I think are drinking well over their price point and make a great match for Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner.

White or Rose Wines 

Dry Rose (12-13% alcohol) is a classic pairing for Turkey, and the Chateau Guiot Rose is a classically styled rose made from both Syrah and Grenache grapes in the region of Costierres de Nime in the South of France.

If you stuffing is more on the fruity side or you like to load tons of cranberry sauce on, this is a great wine to have. The colour is a rich pink and the aromas are dominated by strawberry, cranberry, and black pepper. This wine has enough body to stand up to some gravy, and the flavours are Divine. A well balanced blend of Strawberry, Cranberry, and raspberry fruits are seemingly lightly dusted with fresh cracked black pepper and sage. If that is not enough the acidity should out you over the top. The bright acidity of this wine allows the palate and mouth to feel clean and crisp.

Service: Chilled by not cold; around 4-6C.

Price: $18.99/bottle +deposit

Availability: Liquor Plus Douglas 100 bottles, Liquor Plus Royal Oak 95 bottles, Liquor Plus Saanich 65 bottles. Not available in BC Government Liquor Stores.

Chenin Blanc is a grape variety that I adore. It doesn’t matter if it is from South Africa, BC, France, or Washington State, there is a regal quality to top of the line Chenin Blanc that draws me to it more often than Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio.

For this Thanksgiving I can tell that I will have the Arabella 2008 Chenin Blanc from South Africa. In its native land it is also referred to as Steen. Just saying the word Steen conveys the fresh, steely, vibrant nature of this variety.

Your nose is greeted by aromas of White nectarine, orange blossom, lilac, and Bartlett Pear. The palate is dry and full citrusy, rich tree fruit flavours. The finish is clean and fresh. This is a wonderful pairing for Thanksgiving dinner with Sweet potatoes or yams, savoury stuffing, full flavoured gravy and a dab of cranberry sauce.

When you put the whole package together this is a great wine for the combination that is Thanksgiving dinner, and it leaves your mouth clean.

Service: Chilled but not cold.

Price: $14.99/bottle + deposit.

Availability: Imported from South Africa for Liquor Plus. Liquor Plus Douglas 120 bottles, Liquor Plus Royal Oak 147 bottles, Liquor Plus Saanich 97 bottles.

 Feature Product at Victoria Tweet Up Thursday Oct. 8, 2009

The single most common white wine pairing for Turkey dinner is Riesling (it is also a great match for ham) and we here in BC have access to some of the best there is.

In my opinion the standout grape variety of the 2008 vintage in B.C. is Riesling. It seems that in 2008 Mother Nature smiled on Riesling

 vineyards in BC no matter where they were. The best in terms of over delivering for value and remaining under $20 is the St. Hubertus 2008 Dry Riesling.

Delicious flavours of apricot, honeysuckle, white nectarine, pear, all flow together on a silky, yet crisp bed of minerality that is a hallmark of great Riesling. The bright acidity will work well with the weight of Turkey and its gravy, while the fruit flavours will work in concert with potato, sweet potato and veggies. The crowning achievement comes with a stuffing that features bit size pieces of apple, nutmeg, and savoury spices.

Service: Chilled to cold about 2C.

Price: $17.99/bottle + deposit

Availability: Liquor Plus Douglas 72 bottles, Liquor Plus Royal Oak 61 bottles, Liquor Plus Saanich 47 bottles.

Feature Product at Victoria Tweet Up Thursday Oct. 8, 2009 

 Red Wines

The red wines I prefer with this meal seem to gain in fruit flavours when drank with Thanksgiving dinner. What I mean my this is that each of these wines is very, very enjoyable on its own. The flavours are balanced between fruit, floral and spice, but with this meal the fruit flavours seem to punch up along with the savoury undertones when enjoyed with the meal. For me these wines show the harmony between food and wine.

Mark my words that in the next few years Portuguese wines will become as hot as Spanish or Argentine wines. These wines are often overshadowed by their neighbours in Spain, France & Italy, but they represent such great value for the dollar and pair very well with poultry, ham and fish.

Once such wine has seen a renaissance of late. The 2005 vintage was one of my Top Picks of the year 2 years ago at $14.99, the 2006 kind of slipped, but the 2007 is back among the best wines for this kind of fare. The other bonus is that although the Euro has significantly gained

against the CDN dollar, the price the for this wine has only increased by a buck!

Of course I am speaking of the Quinta de Espiga 2007.  This wine hails from the Estremadura region of Portugal whose capital is Lisbon, and is a blend of Castelao, Touriga Nacional, Syrah & Tinto Roriz. Without getting into the details of each grape the facts are this wine offers bright red and black fruits, earthy tones, and has a silky smooth finish. The bright acidity makes this a great pairing for Thanksgiving dinner and when Cranberry sauce is used, this wine sings like the silky tones of Michael Buble.

I have even had this with pumpkin pie that is well spiced and it was fantastic.

Service: Let breathe for 1/2 hour before serving. If the house is warm from cooking all day, stick the bottle in the fridge for a few minutes before serving.

Price: $15.99/bottle + deposit

Availability: Liquor Plus Douglas 60 bottles, Liquor Plus Royal Oak 60 bottles, Liquor Plus Saanich 60 bottles.

Feature Product at Victoria Tweet Up Thursday Oct. 8, 2009 

This next wine is not one that I would normally pair with this meal, but I have had with everything from a simple breast of chicken to Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding. I especially liked with Roasted Rosemary Chicken that comes complete with mashed potatoes and gravy.

The sad news is that there only remains a few cases of the current vintage and, from what I understand, the next vintage will see some significant price jumps. My recommendation is get this wine now.

The wine of course is the Luis Felipe Edwards Family Selection Carmenere.

A lot of wineries around the world speak poetically about hand harvesting, but in this case there is no choice. These vineyards are higher on the Andean hillside than any other in Chile. The slopes are quite steep which prevents most all terrain vehicles let alone harvesters from transversing them. The benefit of being on the slopes of these gravelly hills is that the vines concentrate their energy into producing the juiciest ripest grapes. The job of the winemaker is to simply transfer those fresh flavours of blueberry, blackberry, cranberry, violets and spices into the bottle and then into the glass.

After touring the vineyards at harvest, I would have to say that the winemaker, Nicolas Bizzarri, has done a master job in grasping the flavours of the vineyard and transporting them to you glass. This wine is richly textured, and in addition to the berry and spice flavours mentioned above, features a long velvety finish that offers hints of mocha, vanilla and pepper.

Service: Let breathe for 45 minutes before service. The temperature should be around 15C, so if it is a little warm in the house from cooking all day, then stick it in the fridge for a few minutes before serving.

Price:  $18.99/bottle + deposit

Availability: Imported from Chile for Liquor Plus. Liquor Plus Douglas 68 bottles, Liquor Plus Royal Oak 28 bottles, Liquor Saanich 46 bottles.

Feature Product at Victoria Tweet Up Thursday Oct. 8, 2009 

 The last wine I am going to recommend for Thanksgiving is quite possibly the best wine that I have tasted this year.

Understanding vintages in particular leads to getting better than average wines that is particularly true in the region of Veneto in North Eastern Italy. This region is known for Bardolino, Amarone, and Valpolicella. Each of these wines are tightly controlled by quality control boards called DOC’s.

The only grapes that go into Amarone and Valpolicella are Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara. The DOC also tightly controls the blending latitudes for each of these grapes. This enhances the quality of the wines tremendously in great vintages, but severely handicaps them in poor vintages. 2006 was one of the best vintages in Valpolicella in the last 25 years.

This isn’t the whole story of Cesari ‘Mara’ 2006 Valpolicella Ripasso DOCG.Valpolicella Ripasso is made with the same grapes as

 Valpolicella, but it is also blended with some back vintages of Amarone. The real story here is that the 2006 vintage of Ripasso was the perfect storm. The best vintage of Valpolicella in 25 years blended with the best vintages of Amarone over the previous 10 years.

The wine is deeply coloured and almost deep purple. The aromas feature blueberry, black raspberry, violets, rosemary and a rich earthyness. The palate is rich but with remarkable acidity that carries the fresh fruit flavours and elegant spices right through the silky, long, sensual, finish. This is extremely versatile and will enhance every part of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. It will also cellar for a number of years, so I am buying at least a case myself. I will likely share some with the family over Thanksgiving, but the rest is for my enjoyment.

Service: Let breathe for at least 45 minutes before serving. This would also benefit from decanting.

Price: $24.99/bottle + deposit

Availability: 1200 bottles in B.C. 360 brought into Liquor Plus 6 weeks ago. Liquor Plus Douglas 87 bottles, Liquor Plus Royal Oak 62 bottles, Liquor Plus Saanich 49 bottles.

Feature Product at Victoria Tweet Up Thursday Oct. 8, 2009 

On Deck- Best Thanksgiving Wines Under $13

In the Hole – Swan’s Pumpkin Ale

The Phillips Crooked Tooth Pumpkin Ale is one of the most sought after releases of the year. Originally intended to last through Halloween, it rarely lasts the weekend in our stores.

The Crooked Tooth is a rich malty ale that is enhanced with a touch of pumpkin and pumpkin spices. The palate is filled with the rich creamy texture of the malty while the finish becomes vibrant with the essence of pumpkin and pumpkin spices.

Last year was the first release and it sold out within 3 days of arrival in the stores wo I would make plans to either reserve your bottles now or get down to one of the store and purchase today or tomorrow.

Serving:Serve at about 4C to get the full creamy texture. Last year I had this with a simple plate of medium gouda and some muenster and it was the ‘bomb’. It was so enjoyable that I am likely going to do it again.

Availability: Liquor Plus Douglas 180 bottles, Liquor Plus Saanich 180 bottles, Liquor Plus Royal Oak 180 bottles as of 3pm Tuesday October 6, 2009

Price: $5.29/bottle + deposit, $63.48/case of 12 + deposit

Reservations: If you would like to reserve bottles please send me a note either via e-mail (askrod@liquorplus.ca) or via Twitter ar www.Twitter.com/Rod_Phillips. Please specific the number of bottles and your preferred Liquor Plus pick up store. All reservations must be collected by Sunday October 11, 2009.

I am really excited about this one.

In January of this year I ordered 56 cases of Ca’ Del Re Prosecco and it has finally arrived in stores.

Prosecco, for those of you who don’t know is a deliciously light sparkling wine from North Eastern Italy made from the Prosecco grape. Really good Proseccos are  fresh, fruity and filled with millions of little bubbles that make wine dance on your palate.

The Ca’ Del Re is just such a wine and is so versatile with it is ashame not to have a bottle of this kicking around for any excuse you can think of.

Serve chilled but not cold and it will be divine. What I mean is if when you remove it from the fridge there is condensation, it is too cold. Let if warm up for a few minutes and it will be perfect.

Have this as an aperitif or with a selection of cheeses, olives (nicoise love this). As for meals have this with light pastas (Jamie Oliver’s Pasta Bianca is phenom with this), fish, seafood, and poultry.

Price:Intro price of $15.99 going to $17.99 on Monday October 7th.

Availability: Exclusive to Liquor Plus – at present Liquor Plus Royal Oak 120 bottles. Similar numbers arriving next week to Liquor Plus Douglas and Liquor Plus Saanich.

Comparable to: Valdo Prosecco ($21), Santa Margharita Prosecco ($20), Martini Prosecco ($20)

Cheers

Rod Phillips – Buyer