As cool and innovative as the mixology scene is (with smokers, farm-to-table ingredients, house-made bitters and the sophistication of a chemistry lab), what’s a wine drinker to do? While out at Honeypie Café for Sunday brunch recently I perused the cocktail menu and hit upon the perfect hybrid: wine tails. An offbeat take on Mimosa, Sconie’ Mosa – on Honeypie Café’s menu – is orange juice, Champagne and Door County cranberry wine. I dug up a few other examples around town in case you want to give this cocktail trend a spin. Balzac Wine Bar boasts two concoctions: Zen Sangria (the obligatory Sangria but with a locavore twist, Wollersheim Winery Prairie Fume White Wine from Prairie du Sac) and The Arlington (Bodegas Sauci dessert wine) – thoughtfully named after the East Side street this wine bar is on. And at Chic Lounge, Celebration contains Vanilla Absolut, Harmonie Hpnotiq, Rose’s Lime and cranberry juice and is topped off with Champagne. Bubbly is also a key ingredient in Third Ward Jade (also contains Midori, Blue Curaçao and lime juice).
WINE EVENT OF THE WEEK
Bay View’s Pastiche Bistro & Wine Bar rolled out its second-floor wine retail area and tasting space less than a year ago. The next tasting – called “An Intro to Wine” – is on Tuesday. Beginning at 6 p.m., the two-hour class costs $15 and will bring you up to speed on five basic white wines and five basic red wines. (You will even learn how to properly open a bottle – to impress a date or colleague, perhaps?) To reserve a spot (reservations are required), call 414-482-1950.
WINE DEAL OF THE WEEK
Waterford Wine Company is celebrating the last month of summer with a deal on a dry French Rosé. Domaine Brazilier’s 2011 Pinot d’Anuis Rosé (Coteaux du Vendomois, France) normally sells for $12.99, but Waterford has reduced the price to $7.99 – so low that it would be a shame to not try it, right? For word on just how delicious this wine is, look no further than the first line of an email blast sent out by the wine shop: “If Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc got together and had a love-child it would be Pinot d’Anuis.” To snag a bottle, or two, dial 414-289-9463.
WINE OF THE WEEK
Sometimes it’s worth it to pay a little more for a quality Chardonnay. Not a few sawbucks more, but a few dollars, sure. The best example is 2010 Hanna Winery Chardonnay (Russian River Valley, California, $28), with a pineapple nose that seamlessly segues into tropical-fruit notes accented by hazelnut and a finish that lingers on the palate. (www.hannawinery.com)
Homepage photo by Chris Kessler.
