South Africa Food & Wine Safari: Success!

South Africa! Our wine and food "safari" earlier this month (Sat. May 14th) featuring Buitenverwachting, Excelsior, Morgenster & Raats, with authentic braai (bbq) from Perky's South African Food & Catering, was a huge success! Pictures from the event are located here: http://www.c3lt.com/Hi-Time/South-Africa-Wine-Food-Safari/

Italian Winemaker Alessandro Cellai Visits Hi-Time

by Gary Faust
 
It was quite an honor to welcome Italian winemaker, Alessandro Cellai to Hi Time Wine Cellars. He is quite versatile and talented, producing wine from two estates with two very different terroirs.

From Sicily, the Feudi del Pisciotto estate showcases some of the island’s native varietals as well as some “international varietals.” Cellai believes three indigenous grapes from Sicily show the character of the island and what is possible in this unique micro-climate. The Grillo, Nero d'Avola and Frappato are excellent examples of wine with true Sicilian character.

Feudi del Pisciotto includes what is probably the greatest intact example of a gravity-fed winery. Incredibly, this was used by the ancient Romans and Greeks who knew a thing or two about making wine. Photos of the interior of this historic building are amazing. Today, many winemakers are building gravity-fed winemaking facilities, an acknowledgement that the process is still very relevant and results in gentle and efficient handling of their grapes and wine.

The bottles of Feudi del Pisciotto have labels featuring the artwork of prominent Italian designers including Versace and Valentino. The artists agreed to allow use of their art as a portion of the sales go toward the renovation and restoration of historic Sicilian art and culture. In tasting through the lineup, we found the wines were expressive, delicious and surprisingly affordable. The designer series wines are shown on the right side of the photo included in this blog (at the top of the page).

We also tasted the Rocca Di Frassinello wines from the appellation of Maremma in Tuscany. Rocca Di Frassinello is a unique joint venture of two incredible producers coming together to craft wine in the rolling hills of Tuscany. The parties involved are Castellare di Castellina from Chianti and the legendary Bordeaux producer Lafite-Rothschild. Their Rocca di Frassinello project couples Castellare’s experience in growing Sangiovese with Lafite’s experience growing classic French varietals including Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Rocca Di Frassinello showcases a stunning winery, most of which is built underground. The modern looking facility contains the largest barrel room in the world. The impressive structure is often host to recitals and performances.

The character of the wine is different than many other expressions of Tuscany such as Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, and Nobile Di Montepulciano. These Super Tuscans feature Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese. They are rich, full-bodied wines which give great pleasure!

The Poggio alla Guardia is an over-achiever, which was our Wine of the Month 2 last July. The 2012 is even better than the 2011 so we will be bringing it into the store in a big way. All the wines from this winery were full-bodied with rich, ripe fruit and smooth tannins.

What a treat it was to spend time with such a talented winemaker. Alessandro was very generous with his time and knowledge. His wines from two very different regions share one common trait- they’re fantastic!

Diplomático Rum

by Tobin Sharp

We had the opportunity to taste through Venezuela's Diplomático Rum lineup on Thursday, May 5th.  The Ambassador and Single Vintage 2002 were exquisite and the entire lineup was excellent; a rich, fairly sweet style of rum with excellent rounded viscosity, honeyed vanillins and varying degrees of depth and influence (depending on the type of barrels used for aging).  There is also much value to be found in the Añejo and Reserva Exclusiva bottlings and most surprising to me, as I hadn't tasted it before, was how great the Diplomático Blanco is.  This is a Blanco you can sip neat and enjoy with much more complexity that one would think could exist in a white rum-- it's aged six years and filtered 5 to 6 times to remove the color (but not the flavor!).

History:
Rum Diplomático was established in 1959 out of a partnership between Venezuela's best rum distilleries and Seagram's International and its Reserva Exclusiva formed part of their "Rare Rums of The Caribbean" collection.  After Seagram's sold the distilleries back to its Venezuela distillers and operators, Rum Diplomático continued to build on its past success.  In the 2000s, the line was extended to include an aged blanco, a two year añejo, an eight year reserva, along with, of course, the twelve year Reserva Exclusiva.  In the past ten years, Rum Diplomático has become the most awarded rum in the world, and its master distiller, Tito Cordero, is the only person to have wone "Master Blend of the Year" two time (2011, 2013) from London's Golden Rum Barrel Awards.  The Rum Diplomático distilleries were the first in Venezuela to be certified with ISO 14001 in recognition of its environmental initiatives.  In 2014, a Drinks International survey revealed the Rum Diplomático is the #1 Trendiest Rum in America's Hottest Bars.

Here's the lineup on our website: Diplomático

Añejo - aged 4 years, column still distillation process, with a Caribbean essence

Blanco - aged 6 years, white rum, filtered 5 to 6 times removing all color

Reserva - aged 8 years, batch distillation in small oak barrels

Reserva Exclusiva - aged 12 years, blend of copper pot still rums, 80% heavy rums and 20% light rums

Single Vintage 2002 - perfect blend from the year 2002, aged in American white oak barrels and finished in sherry casks, limited edition

Ambassador - aged minimum 12 years, 47% ABV, crafted from 100% heavy pot still rums

May Wine of the Month: Juliette 2015 Vin de Pays de Mediterranée Rosé

"It's the most wonderful time of the year..." Of course, we are talking about Dry French Rose season which is just starting; we loved this one so much, we made it our wine of the month. Juliette comes from the Provence region of Southern France, home of the most exquisite and traditional rose wines in the world (and you'll see many more in the next few months!). Produced at the maison of Domaine de La Sangliere, Juliette is a true expression of a traditional Provencal rose wine.

The Style - Juliette is refreshing and elegant, bone dry rose wine, with layers of lively fruit and a bright, smooth finish-just the way a true rose wine from Southern France should be.

Tasting Notes - Elegant and pretty, soft fruits resonate in the nose with layers of mixed melons, plantain, ripe peach and a touch of creme fraiche. The palate is hugely lush yet tempered with acidity. Minerally notes and stone fruits dance with light brown spices and a touch of sea salt/salt air-and the finish echoes with gently receding fruit flavors.

Pairing Notes - Juliette is also an exceptional food wine that pairs with so many different types of cuisines. While Juliette serves an excellent standalone aperitif wine, Juliette is a perfect pair for grilled fish, seafood, steamed fish, lobster, shellfish, bouillabaisse and other traditional Provencal cuisine.

$9.99 750ml [345444] Buy it here.

Greek Winemaker To Visit Hi-Time April 28th

Next Thursday, April 28... Just in time for Greek Orthodox Easter, Hi-Time will host winemaker Apostolos Spiropoulos who will be present from 5-7 pm (the tasting runs from 4:30-8:30pm) to discuss his family's wines and organically farmed vineyards. $20. We will taste 6 wines-- come down & taste!

The Spiropoulos family has maintained close ties with vineyards and wine since 1860.
The family’s vineyards are located on the Ancient Mantinia plateau in the central Peloponnese at an altitude of 650 meters, and in the vicinity of Ancient Nemea.  Α total of over 86 acres of vineyards are cultivated with grapes ranging from Moschofilero, Agiorghitiko, Lagorthi and Merlot to Cabernet sauvignon, Cabernet franc, Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc and Syrah.

Since 1993, cultivation in Domaine Spiropoulos vineyards has met the “Organic Farming” requirements of EU Law 2092/91, and since 1996 the grapes of Domaine Spiropoulos have been certified for organic cultivation by DIO, the authorized agency in Greece for certification of organic produce.

The target Is producing high-quality grapes and wines, and protecting the ecosystem and the environment.

For more on Domaine Spiropoulos, please visit their website:

http://www.domainspiropoulos.com/

Quick Sips: Mad March Hare Irish Poitin!

Hare of the dog? Almost--this Mad March Hare Irish Poitín missed St. Paddy's day but will do just fine this April! Smooth with a touch of sweetness & minerality, the Hare is distilled in traditional copper pot stills from locally sourced malted barley in Ireland. This is #OG moonshine and downright delicious.