Kir Royale Treatment, The Mouth of a Gift Horse, and a Glass Half Empty

     While running around, shopping and planning and having slight bouts with road rage, negotiating that love/hate relationship with Christmas music, wondering where in God's good earth those gigantic blow-up Polar Bear lawn ornaments came from this year, trying to keep our animals from swallowing the gifts and ribbons underneath the tree, I thought, what the hell does "don't look a gift horse in the mouth" mean?  Well, after a little research, here's what I was able to find out:  1) Horses are not NEARLY given as gifts often enough, 2) Phraseologists  (or as i call them, "Dr. Lots-Of-Free-Time-Lonely-Nerds") cannot agree on the exact origins of this phrase  3) Some people think that this refers to the Trojan Horse somehow, however, that seems to be a gift horse that you SHOULD look in the mouth, right?  4) You can approximate a horse's age by checking its teeth. 

     Now, this explanation is kinda obvious now that I think about it, and many of you probably already knew this.  I'm probably going to get mail calling me stupid.  But that's ok.  At least I'm not a phraseologist.

Non-Horse Related Gifts!

4-Pack Boxes

We hand-picked some of our favorite wines in the store to make up two different 4-pack gifts at the $50 and $100 levels.  The package includes 4 wines, gift packaging, and a write up of all the wines tucked neatly inside.  Yes, we're trying to make it easy.  Walk in the front door, turn left, grab a box, checkout.  Repeat (ok, maybe that's pushing our luck).  Or for $5, grab a gift wrapped 4-pack box and add it on to 4 wines that YOU pick out yourself.

Royal Mack's Teeny Tiny Wine Guide

 Quick reference for the basics of winemaking, primary varietals, wine tasting etiquette all packed in a 2x2 inch magnetized book.  It fits in Christmas stockings, even those tiny ones.

"A must for beginners, wine experts and 'wine snobs' alike."

~Michael Aaron, CEO, Sherry-Lehmann Wines, NYC

$2.99/book

***We also have gift certificates, corkscrews, decanters, Riedel stemless wine glasses and more!***

Get the Kir Royale Treatment

Whenever we're not doing formal tastings (Fridays and Sundays), we're going to be offering our own little twist on Kir Royales at the bar every night we're open through New Year's Day

(if supplies last!). 

CoWineCo Royale

1 part Aqua Perfecta Raspberry Framboise

4 parts dry, white bubbly

It's pink, it's yummy, it's festive, it's $5.

Come and get it.

Wine Tasting Schedule

Caparone Tasting with Marc Caparone

Friday, December 16th

5:30-8:30pm

$15/person

5 wines, gourmet cheeses provided by Auntie Em's Marketplace

Reservations recommended: info@cowineco.com or (323) 478-1985

Caparone is one of the oldest wineries in the whole central coast of California.   For 25 years Dave Caparone and his son, Marc have been producing old world-style reds primarily from Italian varietals (they were the first to commercially bottle Sangiovese in California in 1988).  Dave is easily considered one of the most experienced winemakers in Paso Robles (not too long before we last visited, owner/winemaker of Caymus Vineyards, Chuck Wagner visited to get Dave's advice on a potential new vineyard site), and his son Marc has apprenticed under him for 15 years.  So, we are damn proud to host winemaker Marc Caparone.  If you want to taste a fantastic mix of old world style reds with the ripeness of California fruit, this is the one you should get off the couch for.

Wines   
Caparone Aglianico

Caparone Merlot

Caparone Nebbiolo

Caparone Sangiovese

Caparone Cabernet Sauvignon

Sunday, December 18th

1:00-4:00pm

$10/person

4 wines, gourmet cheeses provided by Auntie Em's Marketplace

We'll be pouring some of new arrivals on Sunday.  Give us a call or email this weekend to find out exact selections.  Actually, we may just give you the keys to the store while we go finish our Christmas shopping. 

***There will be no weekly tasting on Friday, December 23rd but the bar WILL be open for wines by the glass***

December 24th, Christmas Eve: We will be OPEN until 3pm!

December 25th: CLOSED... FA LA LA LA, LA LA LA LA

We'll be back in "the office" on Tuesday, December 27th

We're open regular hours on New Year's Eve until 9pm

January 1st: CLOSED...OUCH, MY HEAD

A Glass Half Empty

     Does the shape of the wine glass really matter?  Aren't I drinking the same wine whether it's out of a $40 crystal glass the size of a small bear or a plastic juice cup?  Technically, yes.  But also, yes, it does matter.  Not as much as you've probably heard, but it still makes a difference.  It's mostly about the smell which is technically 80% of taste, so if you can't get a full whiff of that grape juice, you're missing something.  And why miss it when you've paid good money for it?  First of all, the top rim of the glass should always be smaller than the bowl.  This keeps the aromas in the glass above the wine rather than letting them waft away into the air. 

     Different parts of the tongue are sensitive to different taste sensations and famed Austrian wineglass maker, Riedel, claims that, after years of trial and error, they have figured out how to best guide specific wines across your palate. For instance, because red Burgundies tend to be acidic and acidity can sometimes overwhelm the fruit, they crafted a glass that supposedly steers the wine away from the sides of the tongue, where acidity is detected, and directs it toward the middle, where the wine can better strut its stuff.  That's fine and all, but come on, it's still just wine.  And as far as the stemmed versus stemless controversy (we carry stemless Riedel at the store), if you're wine tasting in a competition, no you shouldn't use stemless because your hands on the glass warm up the wine too much.  If you're having a casual dinner or sipping some wine at home, I would venture a guess that there is no way you're going to detect (or care) that your wine has changed 1 degree. 

     So, to sum uip, skip the juice glass, but don't overcomplicate a good thing.

See You Soon,

John and Jen

"Then it happened. *He* came into my life. At first, I thought it was Santa Claus. Then it hit me, Santa probably wouldn't smell of cheap wine. Besides, he was beginning to fill his bag with things that didn't belong to him."

~Gordon "ALF" Shumway