Wine Institute of New England
presents
A Free Wine Tasting & Seminar
at
The Connecticut Wine Festival
at
The Goshen Fairgrounds
Saturday, July 22, 2017
at 2:00 pm
Twelve Nightcaps Before Christmas – The Re(night)cap with Afterword
December 26, 2013 By
The nightcaps we posted are good all year long
With any of these you will never go wrong
In case you missed one we’ve reposted them here
With one afterword, coming sometime next year…
Epilogue: Oktopusake Premium Junmai Sake, Connecticut
On the rare occasions I’m not drinking wine with sushi, I opt for sake instead. Sake is a perfect pairing with sushi and, since it is a rice wine, I can still call it research. I was very excited to learn that there is a local company working on perfecting their own sake. Oktopusake will soon be offering three varieties of their premium junmai sake to Connecticut consumers: Sun – a traditional dry sake; Moon – an unfiltered version (think milky white and slightly sweet); and Stars – a specialty reserve sake that will be as black as squid ink because it will be tinted with, well…squid ink! We will keep you posted on Oktopusake’s progress and are very much looking forward to seeing this new local product in Connecticut stores and restaurants in 2014.
Re(night)cap: One of the questions I encounter the most as a wine educator is “What’s your favorite wine?” I confess, it’s a question I’ve come to dread because I always feel like I’m disappointing the inquisitor. My answer usually goes something like this: “I don’t really have a favorite. It depends on the day, the time of year, the company in which I find myself, and any gustatory delights with which I may be pairing the wine.” If really pushed, I’ll tell them that I am a Champagne girl. This seems to provide them with a little more satisfaction. But the truth is my favorite wine changes on a monthly, weekly and even daily basis. And I am always waiting to find my next favorite wine. The beauty of the wine world is that there is always more to explore. So, here I will present a list of my 12 favorite wines right now for drinking and gifting during the holidays, one day at a time for the next 12 days.
A Votre Santé!
For the full list of 12 nightcaps, click here: Nightcap Recap
Twelve Nightcaps Before Christmas – The 5th Nightcap
December 17, 2013 By
Nightcap #5: Onyx Moonshine Secret Stash 2013, Connecticut, USA, price varies
It may not be wine, but we would be remiss not to include a product by this company in our list of worthy nightcaps. Onyx Moonshine is a local success story, and an almost overnight one, at that. The first moonshine to be legally produced and sold in New England, Onyx can now be found on shelves in almost every bar and liquor store in Connecticut. I first discovered this white lightening a year ago at a screening of a documentary about Prohibition in Connecticut where they were pouring drinks made from their moonshine. For an explanation of just what moonshine is and to learn more about their very first product, click here: Connecticut Celebrates the End of Prohibition.
Onyx prepared for an even bigger celebration of Prohibition Repeal Day this year. On December 5th, Onyx released their newest product, Secret Stash, a charred oak barrel-aged moonshine and Connecticut’s very first whiskey. This firewater is now spreading across Connecticut like wildfire. If you want to catch the craze early on, you will need to hurry. A very limited amount of Secret Stash was produced – 33 barrels to be precise – a tribute to the year that Prohibition was repealed. If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on a bottle, you can expect to pay in the area of $60 for it, although price varies depending on the retailer. As if its scarcity and sexy name weren't enough, each of the 33 barrels produced has different flavor notes due to the unique nature of each barrel used and the conditions under which it was made. A list of the 33 restaurants and stores carrying the Connecticut-crafted hooch, complete with each barrel's flavor profile, can be found here: Find Secret Stash.
If you miss out on the first run, take heart. Onyx plans to release more of their sneaky pete during the summer of 2014. In the meantime, you can grab one of their other home-brewed products as a gift for that special grog guzzler in your life. Visit Onyx Moonshine.
If you snagged a bottle of Secret Stash, you might want to try this cocktail recipe, provided by Onyx Moonshine:
Onyx Maple Manhattan
2 oz Onyx Barrel Aged Whiskey (Secret Stash)
½ oz Maple Syrup
½ oz Sweet Vermouth
Orange rind, for garnish
Combine Secret Stash, maple syrup, and vermouth in a shaker over ice. Twist the orange rind over the mixture to release the orange oil, then rub the orange rind along the rim of the rocks glass. Shake and strain over an ice sphere.
Introducing Connecticut Corkers
May 13, 2011 By
Welcome to Wine Institute of New England’s newest blog category, Connecticut Corkers. “Corkers” has a dual meaning: a person who puts corks into bottles; and a remarkable or astounding person or thing. Both of these definitions seem apt for a blog covering wine in Connecticut. Every month, this category will feature a Connecticut winery and its winemaker, or a Connecticut wine event. It is a very exciting time for winemakers in Connecticut right now. With more than 20 active wineries on the Connecticut Wine Trail, and new farm winery-friendly legislation passed or being considered, the wine industry shows no signs of slowing down. From providing farmers with a new source of revenue to aiding our state both in agriculture and tourism, farm wineries are doing their part for the Connecticut economy. There has never been a better time to become a “locabibe.”
Drinking Local and the Birth of a New Word
April 29, 2011 By
I recently became involved in Connecticut’s Farm to Chef Program, a wonderful group whose mission is to connect local culinary professionals with producers and distributors of Connecticut grown products. My involvement began as a result of my work with a few Connecticut chefs committed to producing menus based on locally grown and produced food, and our mutual interest in promoting local wineries. The following is the story of my local journey. It was published in the May CT Farm-to-Chef Newsletter.
On Becoming A Locabibe
I first heard of the Connecticut Farm to Chef program when a mutual acquaintance email-introduced me (the new rage) to Linda Piotrowicz of the Connecticut Department of Agriculture. This acquaintance thought she might be a good connection for me as I navigated the murky waters of beginning my own wine education business in Connecticut. During my course of study for the Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) examination, we had covered “other” regions, including the Northeast, but there was no mention of Connecticut wineries. A native New Yorker, I did not take the slight too personally, but it occupied a little space in the back of my mind. [Read more…]
