Brad

Storm

Thu, 13 May 2010 15:21:51 -0500

Hello Friends,
First and foremost I wanted to say that on behalf of all the staff here at VINEA we hope that all of you out there have weathered the storm (excuse the pun) with as little damage to your property, as well as, your mental health. I also wanted to extend an all encompassing thank you and general pat on the back for all of you out there who I've seen express so much generosity and humanity in the smallest and grandest of gestures.

It never ceases to amaze me at the things I see people do in the worst of circumstances. We truly are a country of beautiful individuals that can come together in the face of adversity and disaster faster than any other people I know. It doesn't hurt to be Southern either.
So, to all of you driving around offering water from the back of your cars to complete strangers and to all of you offering up that extra bed to your neighbors of the last 10 years to all of you volunteering an extra hand here and there I see you and I commend you. You are what makes me proud to say I am from Tennessee.

So, with that being said I hope you can forgive me for mentioning business in the same statement. It almost seems trite to me. But if a good stiff drink or a cool sip of wine can bring you comfort then it behooves me to let you know the following.

Here at VINEA we have been going through a reorganizing of our stock to bring you only the best wine and spirits for the best value. And as we have always strived to do we had decided that we would be making these changes gradually over the next calendar year so as to not be to abrupt and to gather your feedback while we made said changes to our inventory. We had decided this, way back when, because we value your opinions and invite your suggestions in everything we do here. However, with the flood we thought pushing up this reorganizing and subsequent discounting of the items we've decided to move out would be better for everyone.

Therefore, we have decided that, rather than a gradual change over the course of several months we should instead simply place all of our items that we plan to move out on a 20% discount starting today. Any item with a RED slash on the tag will be included in this mass discounting. We hope that this will help bring a little relief in the chaos that has touched us all in some way or the other.

Until then I hope you all fair well and I wish you light laughter and sweet wine.
Sincerely,
Bradley Bratten
VINEA

Weather

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 10:09:17 -0500

Hello friends,
Well we have definitely been having some sporadic and lovely weather as of late. Hot and sunny today and cold and rainy tomorrow. But you know the best thing about weather like we've been having is the plethora of wines that accompany such dramatic shifts in temperature. Just the other day we held a very special tasting with representatives from Palm Bay Imports and the venerable Italian Vineyard Secco-Bertani. That lovely evening was perfect for enjoying rich italian Amarones and crisp and mineral laden white blends.
If you don't know what an Amarone is may I suggest that you make yourselves acquainted as soon as humanly possible. A quick refresher will hopefully get you up to speed. Historically, Amarones are made from the Corvina and Rondinella grapes. The method used is ritualistic in its approach. The grapes are grown in very difficult soils to maximize stress and therefore elevate concentration and quality. The bunches are harvested after being fully ripened to the point of late harvest levels of brix (sugar). These bunches are typically racked or hung to dry in the hot Italian sun. After raisined in the heat to remove excess water weight these concentrated grapes are pressed to extract the syrup-like juice and then fermented and stored in oak barrels. Area law prevents any excess sugar from remaining in the final must. The percentage of allowable R.S.(R.esidual S.ugar) is close to infinitesimal. The method for fermenting all the available sugars into alcohol is called; fermenting to dry. These VERY potent and concentrated wines are austere at best at this point so they must undergo lengthy barrel storage to help smooth out the edges of these fantastic iconic Italian wines (some of the best are barrel aged upwards of 15 years before ever being released to the public).
At the Bertani tasting on 4/20 I had the distinct pleasure of tasting a 2006, 2000 and an unbelievable 1986 Amarone. All of these wines were wonderful. The 2000 was my personal favorite for the money I felt it had loads of fruit and acidity and I could see it aging well for another 20-30 years. Though the 1986 was superior I felt the 2000 would be an excellent investment for future celebrations and/or special occasions.
But lets talk about the mammoth in the room before we go any further. This wine (the '86) was a rich garnet color reflecting its nearly 15 years of barrel age. The nose was captivating with notes of Cola, plum and cedar. The attack was full of fresh acidity and rich fruits. Each sip that I enjoyed unveiled newer and as yet undiscovered layers of flavor. Perfect wines are few and far between and the wine gods would probably have given this a decent but not outstanding score ('86 was not a stellar year) but I protest that this is a wine and producer that transcends its environmental limitations and shows up ready to play ball. The $150 price tag is a bargain and this wine is drinking REALLY WELL at the moment and should be for the next 10 years. Do yourself and your closest 3 friends a favor and make up a reason to buy this wine and open it soon. Hell, don't go out to eat or drink at a bar for 2 weeks and I'll bet the money you save from the 3-4 times you would have blown your hard earned cash on a bunch of crappy vodka drinks at LIME or Urban Flats will be more than enough to pay for this beautiful bottle of history. Trust me on this one. They'll keep making shitty vodka drinks but they can't make anymore 1986 Amarones.
See you soon. Until then let there be laughter in your eyes and love on your lips!
Bradley Bratten
VINEA

I’m Back...

Thu, 8 Apr 2010 23:29:12 -0500

Hello friends,
First and foremost I wanted to let everyone know how much we appreciate the continued support of our Saturday Afternoon Delight Tastings that have more recently moved to Mafiaoza's patio. The new time for our tastings has moved from 2-4 to 3-5 as per your requests. We will continue to host these tastings throughout the Spring and Summer months every saturday. And as always we welcome any suggestions and or comments pertaining to said tastings.
That being said I wanted to mention our next installment of our ongoing series of Invitational Wine Seminars that will be held on April 22. The theme for this month's Invitational will be Northern Italian and will include a variety of Amarones, Super Tuscans and Barolos. If you are interested in attending this event please contact me a.s.a.p. at the email address below (please label the subject:Northern Italian Invitational Att:Bradley).
Now I would like to take the opportunity to reflect on one of the best bottles of wine that I've experienced in a long, long time. Recently I opened a bottle of Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta 2005. Rarely, have I encountered such a flawless bottle of wine before. The 2005 Clos Apalta is a blend of 42% Carmenere, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot. The nose is full of floral notes and mixed berry with a touch of earth. All of this leads into an initial attack of dried fig and black plum. The mid palate is weighted with notes of dark chocolate and pencil shavings that gives this wine a very pleasant texture that coats the mouth as well as the glass. Every sip of this spectacular wine brings with it new levels of fruit and nuanced taste. As good as this wine is I find it well worth the $89.99 price tag. I mention this vintage because we have just recently been receiving the 2007 vintage and if all reports are to be believed it will be superior to the 2005 that I just enjoyed. Only time will tell.
Along with the Clos Apalta we have also had the opportunity to bring in a few bottles of the 2005 Don Melchor an iconic Cabernet blend from Concha Y Toro. Bottles of this bold and flavorful wine will be available for a very limited time at $79.99 (a truly rock bottom price that will not include any additional discounts).
In the mean time come by and try some of the other new vintages of some of our staff favorites and I look forward to seeing you at our next tasting.
Until then sweet wine and light laughter.
Bradley Bratten
VINEA
weingang@yahoo.com

Cocktails

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 10:25:15 -0500

Being a lover of classic drinks I've been recently experimenting again with new and wonderfully exotic ingredients to come up with my "Summertime Poolside Libation."
Now the first of these is one familiar with any of you who attended our 3-part Valentine's inspired tasting some months ago. I'm speaking of a sweet little martini we have dubbed "The Skinny Dip." The ingredients and directions are as follows.

The Skinny Dip
2 ozs. Dry Gin; Preferably Hendrick's or Oliphant
1.5 ozs. St. Germain, Elderflower Liqeur
1.5 ozs. Freshly squeezed Grapefruit juice
Combine all ingredients into a shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously. HINT: If you want a more potent drink I suggest keeping your Gin and Liqeurs in the freezer until time for mixing and refrigerate all fruits you plan on juicing. Then instead of shaking the ingredients over ice just simply stir gently then pour into frozen martini glasses.

Bitter Kisses
2 ozs. Dry Gin; Preferably Hendrick's or Oliphant
1.5 ozs. St. Germain, Elderflower Liqeur
1/2 oz. Belle de Brillet, Pear Cognac
1.5 ozs. Aperol or another Italian Bitters with a cherry or orange base.
Squeeze of fresh Lemon, Meyer preferably
Combine all ingredients into a shaker, stir and pour into a high-ball glass filled with ice. Top off with tonic and garnish with a lemon twist and a slice of pear.

Southern Belle
2 ozs. Single Barrel Bourbon, Preferably 4 Roses or Willet
1 oz. Belle de Brillet, Pear Cognac
1/2-1 oz. Vya Sweet Vermouth; There is no better vermouth made in my humble opinion. That goes for their Dry Vermouth as well.
Dash of Aperol or Italian Bitters
Combine all ingredients in a shaker filled with ice shake vigorously then pour into a chilled cocktail glass or high-ball filled with ice.
Garnish with a wedge of pear.

I hope you enjoy drinking these as much as I did coming up with the recipes. If you have a favorite variation on a classic of something all together new please write to us and let us know.
Until next time Sweet wine and light laughter!
Brad

Back from Vacation

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:53:45 -0500

Ahhh,
Well I'm back from a much needed holiday spent at the scenic and secluded Gulf Shores Alabama. I got to eat an enormous amount of fish, including the opportunity to make my famous Paella dish, I read three books while I was there, I got to see dolphins jump around in the shallows while hunting like a pack of aquatic wolves and for an entire week I didn't think about anything related to work except what bottle I was opening next to drink. Not too shabby, huh?
But now that I'm back I'd like to pick up where last we parted when I was extrapolating on the question of what my favorite wine is. If you're just joining the conversation then I will catch you up by stating that I am in the midst of a lengthy description of my favorite wines according to the grape varietal presently being discussed and within the parameters of costliness set henceforth in two categories designated as "everyday favorites" and "special occasion favorites". The two categories I felt were necessary in that they set forth the basic parameters with which we generally go about buying wine. e.g. Is this a special occasion wine where we pull out all the stops or is this an everyday drinking occasion where perhaps a modicum of frugality should be considered.
Now with that being said on with today's varietal. Ahh Merlot...sweet child how hath they forsaken thee. This once, king of red grapes fell from popular glory after a simple misquote in a movie (Yes, indeed ladies and gentlemen the line was 'I'm not drinking any Shitty Merlot!' not 'Fucking Merlot!) and a viewing public's misunderstanding of the context of the conversation from said movie snowballed into what could now be seen as the "Sideways Slump Syndrome." But if you really look at the sales index in merlot you might find it interesting that overall there was not that much of a dip. It seems most of it was just so much talk by people who didn't know anything about wine in the first place. So if you were like me and kept drinking merlot with all the other uncool kids Fear Not! you're probably still uncool like me but merlot still ROCKS!!!
Everyday Merlot: First off I'm going to Bordeaux to enjoy a wonderful bottle of 2006 Chateau Trocard Superieur, $15.99. This 70% Merlot blend is juicy and soft with a medium body showing notes of blackberry and ripe cherry on the palate. Overall this is a bargain and even though it us unfined and unfiltered (watch out for the sediment in the bottom!) is very clean on the finish. Skipping up a few more dollars to $19.99 I want call attention to a relative newcomer with the 2006 Four Bears Merlot. This Napa valley wine is all about the tannin structure and a reminder of what merlot is supposed to feel like in the mouth. Black plum preserves on the nose and dark mixed berry on the palate is held aloft under a foundation of structured tannins that tip this boy into the heavy-weight category with lbs. to spare.
Special Occasion Merlot: Okay, two wines spring to mind with a quickness when I think of this category the first is only slightly more expensive than the previous wine and with a price tag of only $22.99 many of you Big Ballers and Shot Callers out there may decide this fits your everyday front porch swing sippin' category with the ease of slippin' your G-5 into autopilot...Playa? At least that's how the maker of Big Guy Red thinks about his wine...minus the airplane, leave the porch swing. This 53% Merlot blend is all about black fruit and creamy texture from the moment you take the first sip and feel this wine spread out like its taking a long lingering vacation in your mouth. Deep and full bodied this wine is relaxing and rich through and through.
Ah, speaking of rich brings me to this next wine which you would have to be if you were to call this your everyday wine but for a special occasion this next merlot IS Fucking Fantastic! And at $59.99 it should be, right? The baby brother to Dell' Ornellaia (the big Italian blend that got Wine Spectator's Wine of the Year Award), Le Serre Nuove is my second pick for a special occasion Merlot. This wine is full bodied with powerful aromatics of preserves and reduction sauces with wafts of spices and herbs closely followed by the concentration of mixed berries and vanilla cream on the palate. Chewy at first this wine begs to be decanted and will reward those who do so with an almost endless array of berry flavors overlapping one over the other over the other until you realize 5 minutes later that you did actually swallow and its time to take another sip. This is truly a wine lover's wine. No matter what you think you may like you should try this at some point doing so will brighten your day and this is truly a wine lover's wine. No matter what you think you may like you should try this at some point doing so will brighten your day and maybe even change what you thought good Merlot is supposed to taste like. After all isn't that what we wish wine would do for us all the time? Change the way we see the world...for the better.
Until next time, bright music and brilliant wine.
Bradley Bratten

Playing Favorites

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 20:37:16 -0500

The other day I got asked what my favorite wine was? Now if you can imagine that during the course of a normal work week I put in a solid 40 hrs. and in that time I would say I get asked what my favorite wine is at least twice every hour on average. Which equates to me thinking about and responding to 'what my favorite wine is' at least 80 times every week. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining or in the least bit affecting a level of negativity about this particular question, it just got me thinking...about thinking, about. So, back to the hypothetical question at hand. What is my favorite wine?
Well, I guess with such a broad field of possible responses I will try and answer this in as many ways as I can. For the sake of time, energy, relevance and capitalism though, I am going to only use labels available to me from our current stock of wines here at VINEA. Hopefully, that will make things a little bit more sane and for those of you playing at home a wee bit more realistic. And since I buy wine like everybody else I'm going to split my answers up into everyday wines vs. special occasion wines. Since this might take awhile I'm going to start on Reds this month and get into Whites next month. Cool? Cool!
REDS: Pinot Noir Sangiovese & Malbecs
Everyday Pinot Noir: Either, the Alfredo Roca $13.99 Smokey, leather, black fruits from Argentina or the Lobster Key $20.99 Surprisingly RICH with lavender and plums from New Zealand (This was the big favorite at the Tasting.).
Special Occasion Pinot Noir: Without a doubt the Dierberg $42.99. I could sit around and smell this wine all day, except I wind up drinking it. Along with the strong strawberry vanilla notes this wine really makes a presence with its supple, velvety mouth feel.
Everyday Sangiovese: Okay, to start with I'm gonna say the Tercos $12.99. Another great Argentinian that belies its origins with ripe red fruits and good acidity without to much Chianti cigar-box dryness. Here is where I lose myself a little. Next, the Cosentino $20.99 Rich, complex, blackberry with black mission figs and spice (This is another one of those surprise favorites at the tasting.).
Special Occasion Sangiovese: The Luna Sangiovese $25.99 is one of my all time favorite wines and tends to be a True Crowd Pleaser and really should fall into my everyday column considering how much I drink it. Tenutta Sette Ponti's Crognolo $39.99 is a HUGE super-tuscan with all the dark berry fruit and rich dried date undercurrents indicative of a great Brunello without the $200 price tag.
Everyday Malbec: By far the best deal in Malbecs under $15 is the El Tordo(Yep, you guessed it another surprise favorite at the tastings!) from Argentina. This wine is deep beyond its price tag with lavender notes on the nose and rich blackberry preserves, spiced cherry and vanilla on the palate. Smooth tannins keeps this wine structured without overdrying and ending with a slightly floral finish.
Special Occasion: These next two wines could easily fall into my everyday category with the relatively low price tag of $19.99 each and with the frequency that I tend to enjoy them. But then I wouldn't have anything to put in the Special Occasions category. Clos De Los Siete is a wonderful Argentinian take on the Bordeaux Blend with Malbec instead of Cabernet or Merlot as the primary grape varietal. Rounded and terroir driven this wine doesn't need, but surely deserves, a good hearty meal or piece of red meat to compliment its generous portions of black fruits and blueberries all held together by firm tannins that don't leave quickly by any means. My second pick in the $20 range of Malbecs is also Argentinian, grown and produced by Jean Bousquet. Organically grown fruit drives this elegant wine with notes of blackraspberry and pepper on the nose and expressions of raspberry, fig, vanilla and spice on the palate. There is a noticeable clarity to the fruit in this wine that I attribute to the Organic fruit that it is comprised of. Whether or not this is the real reason I'll probably never know but it's encouraging to see wine of this caliber produced organically for such an inexpensive price.

That's all for now but be sure to check with me next week when I will continue with My Favorite Wines and look at Merlot, Rhone Style Blends(Syrah/Grenache/Mouvedre), and the King of Grapes Cabernet! Until then, soft songs and bright wine.
Brad

Mazda RX-7

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 10:12:37 -0500

Hey Gang,
    So I was sitting around this morning trying my hardest to think of a suitable subject to write about in this weeks blog but I'm having a hard time concentrating on anything but the idea of driving around in a 1984 Special Edition Mazda RX-7. Now I really can't afford the $5000.00 to actually own the car of my dreams but just the idea of zipping around in this Classic sports car is enough to completely distract me from everything else I should be doing. Adding to the fact that my truck is on its last leg and I find myself distracted more and more with visions of whipping around tight corners at breakneck speeds in a car that would have been new when I was twelve! And now this beauty of an automobile is considered a Classic and because of that I continue to sit here and fantasize over and over about how I might be able to raise the $5K necessary to make her my own. But as I sit here and contemplate what issues of my sizable comic book collection I am willing to put up on ebay I am struck with the reality that what I still consider to be a fairly young sportscar is regarded by most to be a true Classic, an Antique even!
    My girlfriend, who recently bought her first new car (well, new in that it's had only one owner for less than a year), thinks that buying a car twenty-four years old is unwise and that I should consider something newer. Normally on a subject like this I might agree with her but a huge part of owning and driving a car, for me, is wrapped up in the character of the particular automobile. The SOUL of the car if you will. Now Michaela, that would be my girlfriend, says that you can still find a car with SOUL nowadays, and I agree, but what you have to pay to get that level of character is far beyond my meager means. So either by necessity or the adolescent desires of a thirty-six year old twelve year old I find myself obsessing over this sleek little roadster plotting and devising a way to raise the money I need.
    The more I sit here and think about why I'm so drawn to cars like the '84 RX7 or the '83 280zx I can't but help to draw a parallel between my desire for classic roadsters and classic cocktails. You see recently, I was asked to develop a drink using a new Elderflower Liquor called St. Germain so I took a bottle home to experiment with. I made drink after drink using different juices and spirits to compliment or accentuate different aspects of the St. Germain but what I finally decided on was a potent mixture of Dry Gin, St. Germain and a splash of fresh ruby red grapefruit juice. Now as it turned out at the tasting the drink was a big hit but a majority of those in attendance agreed that it was decidedly strong. To which I replied that it was supposed to be. Like an Old Fashioned or a Manhattan I tend to gravitate towards cocktails that have character and a distinct flavor. Drinks with soul if you will.
    Its unfortunate that a majority of cocktails made in bars nowadays are made for a clientele who mainly don't enjoy the taste of spirits and are trying to find a way to cover it up. I hardly ever hear anyone order old school concoctions. I guess that's one of the reasons why I got so excited about making Old Fashioneds at the last Bourbon Tasting we had this past saturday. What truly amazed me were the number of younger tasters who approached me afterwards who had never even heard of an Old Fashion let alone drink one before. So I decided in future tastings when the focus was on a spirit or liquor I would try to find some classic drink to make for everyone. If any of you out there have a great recipe for any of the classic cocktail drinks leave a comment and include your magic formula.
Until next time, enjoy soft songs and bright wine.
Brad

Here is the recipe for my Valentine's cocktail using St. Germain.
Its called "Everyday's the 14th"!!!

2 oz. Hendrick's Gin
1.5 oz. St. Germain
1.5 oz. Freshly squeezed ruby red grapefruit juice

Combine ingredients in a shaker filled with ice shake vigorously and pour into chilled martini glass. (A tip for getting your drinks really cold is to store your spirits in the freezer and your liquers in the fridge.)

And here is my recipe for the Old Fashioned I was making at the last tasting.

2 oz. Rye Whiskey or Bourbon (I was using the (RI)1 and found its spiciness to be very pleasant
and a real standout compared to the other bourbons I was using to make drinks with.)
.5 oz. Aperol or Orange Bitters
.5 oz. Grenadine
2 orange slices
2 brandied cherries
2-3 sugar cubes

In a rocks glass put 2-3 cubes of sugar and drip the Aperol (Orange Bitters) and Grenadine over it. Drop in the orange slices and muddle sugar and orange together. Fill glass with ice and pour in Rye or Bourbon. Garnish with cherries.

Brad---First Round Flogging

Tue, 3 Mar 2009 09:48:28 -0600

Hello everyone and welcome to the first installment of WINEJIVE!
This will be my most humble attempt at a weekly blog discussing anything and everything you might, and might not, want to know about wine and the wine industry. Along with talking about all things wine I will do my best to slip in as many random subliminal messages in the ultimate attempt to sway you all into joining my SECRET CULT!!! But I'm getting ahead of myself. For now, I'd like to take a brief moment to thank everyone for last weekend's wine tasting. Whether you are a frequent attendee of our Saturday Afternoon Delight wine tastings or happened to stumble in for the first time this past Saturday I would like to say thanks for coming and I appreciate the level of enthusiasm each and everyone of you brings to each event.
As you may, or may not know, since October of last year we decided to make a few changes to the structure and focus of the tastings. Primarily, we've decided to focus on one specific grape varietal/spirit for each tasting and showcase as many different styles of how that particular grape is grown and produced into wine as we can supply from the many different varieties of wine that we carry at VINEA. For more on the ideas behind how we choose what we will be tasting each and every Saturday be sure to check out our Weekly Tasting Blog. There you will be able to read up in a much more detailed manner on the specifics of each tasting, the varietal chosen, and the individual bottles I'll be pouring for that day. So keep an eye out for the first edition of Afternoon Delight to be sent out later this week.
I figured since this was to be my first blog for our new website I should introduce myself and lay down some general ideas about what you should expect, and what I'd like to request of you, as we progress together throughout the year. First off my name is Brad and I grew up in East Tennessee. I was born and raised in the Smoky Mountains, so you could say I'm a true backwoods, barefoot hillbilly! And proudly so! GO VOLS!!! I first started working in the wine and spirits industry when I was in college working as a chef and then later as a bartender. If you count my great-grandpa's moonshine still, I guess you could say I've been in the biz before even that. Many of our customers at VINEA ask what training I've had and how I've learned what I have about wine & spirits and the truth is it has all been primarily self-taught. Not that I wouldn't welcome and enjoy taking a formal course from one of the more esteemed organizations that provide them. But to date, everything I've learned I've done by searching out the information on my own and ultimately surrounding myself with people who I knew to have excellent taste and knowledge in wine & spirits. (It also helps to be a raging alcoholic. Though for the record I prefer the term 'drunk'. Alcoholic sounds so clinical.) I tell you this to help serve as a jumping-off point for all of you out there who have an interest in wine and maybe feel intimidated by the sheer amount of information on the subject. I know I did when I first decided to try and make a career out of this hobby of mine. More often than not I felt overwhelmed. And when I did get the courage up to ask someone who I thought would know the answer to whatever question I had I was met with a certain level of arrogance and pomposity that, unfortunately, seems to pervaid the oenological culture.
So, for these reasons (and some miscellaneous contractual bindings, but mostly the first part) I've decided to try and make learning about wine as fun and easy and ultimately relaxed as I can possibly make it by inviting you to openly participate in my weekly bloggings. Every week I'll try and come up with something to talk about that I find interesting in the wine world and I'll ask you to join me by sending me ideas on particular subjects and/or questions you might have. Feel free to ask anything you find relevant even if it doesn't really have anything to do with wine & spirits. Your suggestions and questions are always welcome and encouraged!
Along with all of the aforementioned details that I want to include in each blogging I will also try to pick out a Wine of the Week that, for whatever reason, I find interesting enough to give a quick review, and general synopsis of, with each blog.
Until then, see you soon for soft songs and bright wines!
Brad