Stay safe, storm peeps!
Here’s a cool infographic that brings to life the different types of wines. Thanks to our friends at CrushWire for the heads up.
Original Source: Different Types of Wine
Exciting stuff is brewing (and fermenting!) in Arlington, MA. The Mystic Wine Shoppe is set to open in the coming days in the long-unoccupied building next to the Stop & Shop on Massachusetts Avenue.
Owner Eric Faiola welcomed Mr. Cups and me into Mystic Wine Shoppe this afternoon for a sneak peek. The 2,000 s.f. store will offer an array of wines at all price points (arranged by grape), craft beers and spirits. They’ll have weekly specials and tastings (yum!), along with wine accessories and other goodies. Plus, there’s plenty of free parking. 
Arlington was a dry town until recent years, which forced residents into adjacent towns if they wanted something a little stronger than Diet Coke to enjoy with dinner. That won’t be a problem any more, thanks to this terrific new store.
Watch this space for more details on Mystic Wine Shoppe, along with what I hope will be regular reviews of some of their featured wines.
One of my favorite pastimes is browsing the wine selection at my local Costco. (And a word to the uninitiated: one does not need to be a Costco member to have access to their liquor store, which has a wide selection of spirits and beers in addition to wines.)
I recently stumbled onto the Costco Wine Blog, a great resource for getting a sneak peek into what’s currently on the shelves. The blog describes itself as a place where readers can “learn more about the wines you will find at Costco – so you can find extreme
values, enjoy the remarkable selection and perhaps be compelled to try new wines
that you may have overlooked before.”
Be sure to check it out. I’m looking forward to learning about all sorts of new finds I might have otherwise overlooked.
I’m a bit tardy with my post, but I kicked off my “50 Project” tastings with two fantastic wines that a small group of us enjoyed on New Year’s Eve.
First up was a 2004 Fratelli Revello Vigna Conca Barolo. I’m a huge fan of Italian reds and this gorgeous Barolo (Nebbiolo) from the Piedmont region didn’t disappoint. It was bright garnet red in the glass, with black currant flavors, great tannins and a long finish. The wine got progressively more impressive as it breathed in the glass. Thanks to DT and RB for hand-picking this beauty out of the impressive cellars of Il Capriccio in Waltham.
We followed the Barolo with a 2009 Hall Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. The Hall was a gift from JC and MD, dear friends and Cabernet enthusiasts who know a good wine when they taste one. The Hall was a great example of a classic California Cab: aromas of cassis and blackberry, with some nutty flavor in the mouth. Big velvety finish. The Hall is a blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec and 1% Cabernet Franc.
These two wines got me even more excited to uncork some other “50 Project” bottles in the coming weeks. Watch for more reviews here. Like I’ve said before, all these great wines ready to be enjoyed makes turning 50 pretty okay with me!
I’m reluctantly coming to grips with the fact that, soon (like, REALLY soon), I’ll be 50. Gulp.
But here’s the good part. Wonderful friends and family want to celebrate with me. And they want to give me wine. Who am I to argue?
So in the spirit of sharing all the really special wines that have come my way over the past few weeks, I’m announcing “The 50 Project.” Over the course of the next several months, I’ll be inviting family and friends to sample these wines with me. And share their opinion so I can shamelessly steal their insights for “In My Cups.”
Look for my first post shortly after New Year. I’m planning to pop open a couple of great bottles that evening and solicit the expert opinion of some of my nearest and dearest. And in the process, I’ll hope to share some great finds with my tiny community of loyal readers.
Happy holidays and all the best for 2013. Let’s make it a great one!
Mrs. Cups
Here we go again: Thanksgiving is upon us, with Christmas on the slippery slope behind.
What’s everyone drinking with Thanksgiving dinner this year? We’ll be bringing to the Cups In-Laws a bottle of (the now defunct) Diamond Oaks’ beautiful 1997 Pinot Noir Reserve (perfect with the bird). It’s a shame this winery is no more because I’ve been impressed with their Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir. More on this wine after the holidays.
Alongside our pumpkin pie we’ll be popping open a bottle of Australia’s Innocent Bystander 2011 Moscato. According to the winemaker, “A true Moscato (in that has been made from 100% Muscat grapes) this wine is light in alcohol, fantastically fizzy and shows summer fruits, rose petal and Turkish delight.” Turkish Delight? Those crazy Aussies! Wine Gal’s been raving about this beauty for awhile now, so I’m keen to get onboard.
Wishing my small (but dedicated?) core of readers a very happy and safe Thanksgiving. I’ve got so much to be thankful for this year and hope you all do, as well.
Anonymous Wine Drinker #4, Coffee Gal and I recently had the great good fortune to dine at Arrows Restaurant in Ogunquit. Arrows is routinely listed among the best restaurants in the US and its talented chefs, Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier, were honored as the James Beard Best Chefs of the Northeast in 2010. I’d never been before, had heard wonderful things and was so excited. Turns out the evening was everything I’d hoped it would be, and more.
First off, we were met outside the restaurant by a lovely young man armed with the amuse bouche of the evening, a veal pastrami on crostini. He had me at hello. Inside, the restaurant is simply darling – dim lights, gorgeous table settings and a killer view of the Arrows gardens, which that night were adorned by pumpkins of all shapes, sizes and colors.
The Arrows menu needs a bit of an explanation (or at least it did for me). It’s separated into “Collections” and one chooses accordingly, mixing and matching to your heart’s content. I opted for two choices out of the “Garden” collection, including a fantastic celery root and chocolate fois gras “sundae” (pictured here). 
I also enjoyed an exquisite and velvety vegetable soup. Moving into the “Land and Sea” collection, I feasted on delicious scallops accompanied by tiny gems of lobster gnocci. Portions are small but I was comfortably full at the end of my meal.
And dessert? We opted to share the “Chocolate and Bread,” which consisted of brioche dusted with chocolate, cocoa nib chocolate bar, dark chocolate cremeaux, and accompanied European barley wine granita (aka, “beer sorbet”). We also enjoyed delicious, straight-out-of-the-pan doughnuts and churros.
Our wine choice for the evening was a Gary Farrell Chardonnay. 
Hailing from California’s Russian River area, the wine is described by the winemaker as: “Bright clarity and medium intensity in appearance with a lemon-gold core color. Aromas and flavors of baked sour apples, banana, pineapple, and lemon meringue are complemented by baking spices, vanilla, marzipan, pie crust and crème brûlée. The palate possesses a supple texture and medium plus body, flavor intensity and length.” Gary Farrell sells this wine for $38 a bottle on its site.
We’re already planning our next visit back to Arrows. And I’ll definitely be on the hunt for the Gary Farrell at my local liquor store. And if you don’t happen to have your bank book at the ready but still want to enjoy Chefs Mark and Clark’s fantastic food, head to MC Perkins Cove, also in Oqunquit. Their Sunday jazz brunch is killer!
InMyCups 