So what’s this all about? It’s about asking your indulgence, which is really what any blog post is, a request to indulge a bit of public mind-speaking. So please indulge me on some thoughts relating to events in Boston two days ago.

To an unflattering degree I look forward to my twenty minutes of drive-time updating on the goings-on in the world of sport. Listening to “expert opinions” distracts me from expressing a candid evaluation of my fellow commuters’ driving skills and can be entertaining and occasionally even illuminating. Such was not the case on Tuesday. No matter where I turned the discussion was about the role of sports and entertainment in the face of tragedy and that such tragedies remind us that it’s only games and entertainment that the speakers have made a career out of evaluating and deeming relevant. But in the end, the ability of a keen-eyed young man to hit a ball over a fence slides down the totem pole of relevancy when some hearts suddenly stop and others are broken.

Or does it? Can sports and entertainment provide solace to the grieving in their continuation? Are they a useful continuation of normalcy, an attempt to counterbalance a brutal disruption of everyday life?

As I pondered these questions while getting closer to the store, the question came to me – what about the fermented grape juice that is my working life? Some of it is useful, some will enhance food and company, and some is, by the combined efforts of nature and man, an intricate expression of place that smells and tastes like many things but not grape juice.  But ultimately, when faced with events like those in Boston, it is all really just grape juice whose importance is made clear by contrast. Or is it? In the aftermath of Loma Prieta, it is said that the patrons at Chez Panisse that night, after the shaking stopped, shook hands all around and ordered some of the rarer bottles on the list. So perhaps there is a place for grape juice in troubling times, particulars are for the next rendition, in the meantime re-send your thoughts and prayers to those with broken limbs and hearts.

Matt S., Beltramo’s Assistant Mangaer

We happily got to sample drams from every corner of the globe. There were of course items from as near as the city of San Francisco itself, like the folks from Anchor Distilling. I also appreciated that Anchor brought some beers from the brewery side of their operation. Of course, we also got to sample much more exotic fare, like Single Malt Whiskies from Tasmania and India, all of varying styles, proofs, and levels of smoky peatiness and sherried sweetness. Hailing from the other side of the world, the Amrut Fusion($63.99) from India was particularly superior and strong-flavored. I had previously only tried the regular Amrut ($49.99)expression, so I was anxious to try the Peated($59.99), the Fusion, and the Intermediate Sherry ($99.00). The normal Amrut has a light body with a sweet and slightly phenolic tone and flavors that are simultaneously nutty and fruity. The Fusion, which uses a combination of malt from Scotland as well as India, really ups the ante with more bold peat flavors. It’s definitely got more oomph in the smoke department, but the surprise is that the fruity notes also increase their presence. This is a World Whisky to check out, especially for those who haven’t yet dared to venture beyond the Whiskies that Scotland and America have to offer.

On the home front, the American distilleries had a lot to show for themselves too. Rick and I spent some time over at the Bulleit Bourbon station. While Rick hobnobbed with his friend, Tom Bulleit, and daughter, Hollis Bulleit, I was busy checking out the Bulleit Rye Whisky ($23.99) which has been a regular favorite of mine since its premier not too long ago. With 95% rye content in the mashbill and 90 proof strength, it has all that snappy spice and floral character that I want in a Rye. It’s great for cocktails or drinking neat, and the pourers at the Bulliet station were serving it up every which way.

Another great place to sip and sample was the table for High West Distillery out of Park City, Utah. It’s true, they make fantastic hooch in the state of Utah now, and High West keeps expanding their already strong lineup. Already well-versed in most of the High West products, the draws for Rick and I on this night were the two White Whiskeys they had on offer. They have some New Make that they’re distilling from oat, and they also have a White Rye. Both products were so great that we just added them at Beltramo’s. The Western Oat Whiskey has a mashbill of 85% oat and 15% barley, resulting in a drink that’s viscous, supple, and has a clean sweetness. Their OMG Pure Rye Whiskey has a dramatically different profile: it’s big and floral in the nose with flavors of stone fruits and herbs, and it has a very long finish. Unaged Ryes might possibly be cutting a category all their own. At any rate, both these White Whiskeys proved to be of much higher caliber than most New Make out there on the market.

And the Scotch. Oh, the Scotch! We found some truly great drams. We popped by the table for the newly reopened Glenglassaugh Distillery where they doled out samples of Whiskies from the distillery’s past and future. They had their 26 year old ($249.00) and their 37 year old (two of the best Whiskies of the night, for sure) as well as their three Unaged Whiskies (the Clearac ($27.49), Fledgling ($27.49), and Peated ($27.49)) that you can’t technically call “Scotch” because they don’t meet the age requirement, but they’re still mighty interesting AND available at Beltramo’s.  They also unveiled the first true Single Malt from the distillery under its new operation, Glenglassaugh Revival. It still tasted young, so I’d like to see what this Scotch is like after a few more birthdays, but the Revival (much like their Unaged Whiskies) shows a lot of promise for the recently renovated distillery.

Rick and I found our way to the Classic Malts Selection table hosted by Diageo. They had a lot of the big names in Scotch, along with older expressions so that you could try Oban 14 ($59.98) alongside the 18 year old and the Distiller’s Edition ($99.99). This is where we found the Cragganmore 21 ($198.00). Rick called this little number “the belle of the ball.” While one might argue that this Cragganmore is far too robust to ever be referred to as a “belle,” it was undeniably fantastic and one of the best drinks we had at the Expo.

The boys at the Bruichladdich table were also great hosts and fun to talk to. Simon gave us the royal treatment as we sampled through the line, explaining everything from their production methods to the shape of their stills. We got to retry the Laddie Ten ($52.99), the Classic Laddie ($62.99), and the Bruichladdich Rocks ($39.99), and then we got to sip on a Bruichladdich Scotch that hasn’t yet made its way across the pond to America, the new batch of Bruichladdich Organic, which happened to be my favorite. Though from Islay, Bruichladdich proper is not peaty, not counting the Port Charlotte ($119.99) series and Octomore($134.99). Instead, the Scotch is salty-briny and acidic, making it literally a mouthwatering Whisky, and it has very elegant floral undertones tying everything together.

Kilchoman from Islay had a couple of its newer batches of Scotch at the Expo. From this younger distillery that regularly puts out vintage releases of their Whisky, we got to try the 2006 92 Proof release, their new Single Cask Sherry Finish 119.2 Proof, and their 100% Islay which is yet to be released stateside. I hope they send over another lot the 100% Islay soon because that was a real winner. And of course we had the unique chance to sample a number of rarities such as the Octomore Comus which is a peaty cask strength monster finished in Sauternes casks, while Rick from Glenlivet gave us a sneak of a rare vintage Nadurra 1991 that was stunning. 

Another real draw for me at any tasting like this is the opportunity to try the varying selections presented by independent bottlers. For those not in the know, independent bottlers go into distilleries and, after much sampling and consideration, buy single casks to age and finish as they see fit. For Whisky lovers, this is fun because it means you can find rare, one-off bottlings of Scotches from all manner of different distilleries. Independent bottlers, Mackillop’s Choice, were in attendance at the Expo this year pouring a fine array.

There were also several non-Whisky tastes to be had. For one of the best, we headed back to the Bruichladdich table where they had The Botanist Gin ($34.99). That’s right, they’re making Gin on Islay and it’s superb. It has an intense juniper flavor, first-rate supporting herbal notes, and a crisp, clean bite. This Gin just begs to be thrown into a Martini. My other favorite drink of the night that wasn’t a Whisky was St. George Spirit’s Absinthe Verte ($59.98). Perhaps better known for their hard-to-find Single Malt and the line of Hangar One Vodkas, this distillery makes everything from Eau de Vies to Liqueurs, and I was happy to get the chance to try their Absinthe Verte. Our bartender served Rick and me the beverage in a tiny glass with a single ice cube. We each watched and sipped as the water released into the Absinthe, turning the liquid from a clear lime-herb green into a swirling, foggy, opaque swamp color. It was so strong and so good. As a fan of the flavor of black licorice, I was very satisfied.

We finished the evening by going up onto the upper deck to have a couple cigars. The night was dark and beautiful, and you could hear the low sound of the yacht scraping against the moorings. Things were a bit blustery up on the fourth story on the waterfront like we were, but that didn’t detract from the atmosphere. We smoked while we talked about our favorite Spirits of the Expo, finally away from the din of the crowd down below. It was a solid tasting. There was just one unresolved question on our minds: where were we going to go now to find a nice refreshing beer…

Neal F., Beltramo’s Spirits Staff

These are just a few of the dilemmas facing today’s wine consumer which are brought to my attention on a daily basis.  Whether an experienced aficionado or a fledgling enthusiast taking the first steps in the shallows of the vast ocean that is the wine trade, there will always be some questions left unanswered and strongly held opinions disputed.  This is my chance to set the record straight, answer some of those questions you might hesitate to ask, and generally provide you with some information to help you get the most out of the wines you know and love and the wines you are yet to discover….

Corks, Synthetics, Crown closures and Screw-caps

There are many different types of closures available in today’s industry, all with their own advantages and disadvantages for the wine which will influence a winery’s decision in what to use.  The most well known is the traditional cork, used to stopper wine for hundreds of years.  Cork is an organic material contained in the bark of the cork tree, a sub-species of Oak found largely in the western Mediterranean with roughly 30% found in the cork forests of southern Portugal.  The bark can be harvested without harming the tree itself – this however, may only take place every nine years to allow the tree to fully recover and produce more bark for the next harvest.

The first property which makes this a suitable material as a wine stopper is its elasticity, allowing it to be squeezed into the bottle neck to form a tight seal.  However, what we are mainly interested in here is the porous quality of the cork which allows oxygen to slowly work its way into the wine reacting with compounds within it, thus altering the flavor components, softening tannins and continually changing the character of the wine.  Here we might assume that this would be a desirable trait for the aging of some of our fine wines – did someone mention Margaux?

The major downside to using cork is the ever present threat of cork taint, one of the most common faults (along with oxidation) to be found in spoiled wine.  Cork taint produces an off-putting moldy, damp smell with varying levels of intensity which is most commonly caused from a by-product of the cork bleaching process that produces a chemical called Trichloranisole or TCA, responsible for this undesirable aroma.

Alongside traditional cork (of which there are many types and quality levels), there are synthetic cork options made from plastic compounds.  The major advantage of these is the prevention of cork taint and oxidation, also the cost of manufacture is significantly reduced.  However, although rare, there can occasionally be other chemical taint in the wine from the plastics and materials the corks are made from.  The other downside is it becomes difficult to re-stopper the bottle with a synthetic cork as it is not as elastic and pliable as true cork.

Lastly, screw-caps and crown caps (a standard closure commonly used on beer bottles) offer another choice for the winemaker.  Both of these options use inert materials to prevent faults in the wine keeping it fresh and both are relatively cheap to produce.  Again, both of these choices leave little room for the aging potential of true cork.  Sadly, the major downside to these types of closures is the public perception that it is an inferior product if either of these options is used.

To summarize, corks, synthetics, screw-caps and crown-caps all have their specific advantages and disadvantages.  It is simply a case of the right tool for the right application, for example, I wouldn’t want my 1983 bottle of Mouton-Rothschild to have a crown cap just like it might not be necessary to have a high quality cork on an everyday bottle of $10 white wine I would drink within a couple of days – how much extra complexity could it develop in that time?

Does glassware make a difference/which glass for which wine?

The question of which glassware to use is a very broad and hotly debated topic; one which I am just going to give a brief outline of here, as there are many opinions and debates about this subject.

For most wine drinkers from the inexperienced to the connoisseur, three different glasses should be all you need to get the most out of your wines without clogging up your all important cupboard space with huge amounts of glassware.  These three glasses should enable you to experience a multitude of white, red and sparkling wines.

The first glass you will need is a flute for sparkling wines and Champagnes.  This is a very distinctive glass comprising a tall and narrow shape designed with a small surface area at the base of the bowl to maintain the flow of bubbles universally associated with Champagne.  A wide bowled glass would dissipate the bubbles far too quickly creating a flat, undesirable wine.

The second glass should be able to encompass a range of white wines, a somewhat tricky task as there are many different types ranging from crisp Rieslings to rich buttery Chardonnays – the goal here is to find a glass that will fit somewhere in the middle.  A white wine is typically lighter than a red with a very distinct yet delicate aroma,  to capture this aroma at its fullest the glass should be tulip shaped with a relatively narrow aperture to focus the aromas of the wine on the nose to achieve the most concentrated and distinctive profile.

Where you may want to experiment with different glasses for white wines is having one as mentioned above for lighter wines such as Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Pinot Gris and another for more heavily oaked Chardonnays and fuller bodied whites.  For this category the body and aperture of the glass can be wider to allow the stronger aromas space to develop – they may be overpowering if focused directly on the nose.

To complete the lineup, you will need a glass for those sumptuous and silky red wines.  For this, the shape will move from tulip to a much larger fishbowl shape with a wide aperture.  As red wine tends to have a rich density to it the aroma often seems to be almost trapped in the wine creating what is commonly referred to as a closed aroma.  The wide bowl combined with a little time and some gentle swirling releases the aroma to allow the wine to become much more expressive and full of character.

Armed with these three different wine glasses you should be able to enjoy most of what the wine trade can throw at you!  From here it is simply a matter of experimentation to find out which glass best suits the wines you enjoy, happy tasting!

In Part II of “Common Questions in the Wine Trade”, I will address how to store, age and serve wines.

Christian B., Beltramo’s Wine Consultant

Last year’s Nth Universal Whisky Experience received rave reviews from collectors and professionals alike. Mahesh is working to make this year’s event even more impressive. It will be held again at the Wynn-Encore Resort Las Vegas on March 2^nd and 3^rd 2012.

The event features samples of the finest whiskies in the world and also offers every ticket holder a chance to taste some very rare and special whiskies. In addition to tasting some of the world’s finest whiskies, tickets access Special Events and Masters Classes, include light bites in the exhibit hall and a post-show gourmet dinner reception. A limited number of guest rooms at Wynn-Encore Resort Las Vegas are offered at special prices to ticket holders on a first come, first served basis.

The Nth Universal Whisky Experience offers  Beltramo’s customers a $100 discount on your ticket purchases. To receive this discount, use the special promomotion code: UWECT1.

If you’ve been waiting for a good excuse to visit Las Vegas, this might be it!

This link to this year’s Nth web site will give you all the details.  www.universalwhiskyexperience.com

Harry B., Beltramo’s Store Manager