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Terroir and elegance often walk hand in hand,
with thought-provoking subtleties.
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Read about it today, experience it tonight.
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El Trofeo 2006 Red, Vino de la Tierra Castilla, Spain
A skillful blend of tempranillo, cabernet, and syrah fermented in stainless steel.
El Trofeo means "the trophy."
Although a trophy wine demands a great price for its well known stature,
this Spanish gem is the perfect prize for those who excel.
Blueberry, raspberry liqueur, and mulberry tones create a backdrop,
while hints of tobacco, anise, dark chocolate, and sassafras
show distinct layers on the mid-palate.
The tannins offer grip with nuances of white pepper.
A surprising value for the money.
This wine gets better as it is open, pour a glass and give it an hour;
generous flavors the next day.
92 points -- tasted 1/6/2008 -BF $9
Bonnie Brae,
Argonaut, Superior, Liquor Land, Heritage,
Bungalow Wine & Spirits, Cheyenne Trail,
Austin Bluffs Plaza Liquors, Blake Street Wine & Spirits, Broadlands Liquors,
Fairway Liquors, Keg Liquor, Chambers,
Springs Liquor Outlet, Table Mesa, Champa Street Liquor,
and Marczyk Fine Wines carry this wine.
Are you a retailer who carries this wine?
Email
us and we'll add you to the 'where to find it' listing.
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El Trofeo 2006 Tempranillo, La Mancha, Spain
Soft, sultry, and feminine,
this is the perfect wine when one person orders chicken and the other orders steak.
The palate is ripe with black cherry and plum,
while flavors of milk chocolate, black licorice, leather, cigar box,
green tea, and roses create a perfume like mid-palate.
Lighter bodied and smooth, it fills the mouth delicately,
yet delivers in classic tempranillo style.
Its personality blooms with a little breathing.
92 points -- tasted 1/6/2008 -BF $9
Willow Springs, Wine Seller & Spirits Too, Bottle 'n Cork, Chambers Wine & Liquors,
Casablanca Wine & Spirits, Choice Liquors, Somerset Village Liquors,
Edwards Liquors, Europa Wine & Liquors, Ginger's Drive Thru Liquor, Green Mountain Village Liquors,
Monument Liquor Mart, Moondance Wine & Spirits,
Napa Nectars, Pioneer Hills Liquor, and Wallaby's Liquor Warehouse carry this wine.
Are you a retailer who carries this wine?
Email
us and we'll add you to the 'where to find it' listing.
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Insatiable 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, California
Beautiful red-violet color with an intoxicating cookie dough nose.
The palate teeters between dark chocolate and black raspberry.
Fine tannins and acidity offer a front of the hand--back of the hand sensation.
Flavors of vanilla, roses, framboise, cream, and clove are not timid.
An undervalued gem--pulling out all the stops.
93 points -- tasted 12/18/2007 -BF $10
Meridian Wine & Spirits, Crossroads Wine & Spirits,
Wilburs Total Beverage in Fort Collins, Evergreen Discount Liquor,
The Incredible Liquor Store, Costco Liquors in Arvada,
Cork 'n' Bottle,
Powers Liquor Mart, Lowry Liquors, Chateau Liquors, Parker Liquors,
Ski Haus Liquors,
Downing Street Liquors, Fox Creek Liquors, Pringle Fine Wine,
Oties Wine & Spirits, Montana's Liquors, Berthoud Wine & Spirits,
Wine Mine in Telluride,
and KaCee's Wine & Spirits carry this wine.
Are you a retailer who carries this wine?
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us and we'll add you to the 'where to find it' listing
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The Show 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
Vibrant, deep purple color from this blend of
cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petite sirah, petite verdot, and cabernet franc.
Seductive nose with hints of roses and sassafras aromas.
In the mouth it is smooth and concentrated, with notes of blackberries,
red raspberry, cinnamon, milk chocolate,
and a hint of German Chocolate Cake with toasted coconut.
The blend offers an intense mid-palate, with notes of fresh roasted coffee
with lots of cream.
Soft tannins make it a silky drink with a
great balance between acidity and fruit.
94 points -- tasted 1/3/2008 -BF $15
Crossroads Wine & Spirits and Wilburs Total Beverage in Fort Collins carry this wine.
Are you a retailer who carries this wine?
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us and we'll add you to the 'where to find it' listing.
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Zamba 2006 Pinot Grigio, Argentina
A steal for the money.
Aromas of white flowers draw your attention.
On the palate, this pinot grigio is surprisingly luscious for its price.
Layered notes of grapefruit, golden apples, melon, and honey.
The zing of minerals evolves on the mid-palate, complimented by mouthwatering acidity.
Buy two.
90 points -- tasted 1/5/2008 -BF $8
Marczyk Fine Wines and Wilburs Total Beverage in Fort Collins carry this wine.
Are you a retailer that carries this wine?
Email
us and we'll add you to the 'where to find it' listing.
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Stella 2006 Pinot Grigio, Umbria, Italy
Classic Italian Pinot Grigio with a touch of Alsatian style.
Aromas of honey lead to a well balanced wine.
Crisp and refreshing with mouthwatering amounts of acidity,
this wine has a great mid-palate.
In the mouth, layered notes of
baked apple pie, pear, and tangerine fill the senses.
The finish offers honey tones once again,
while the acidity complements the rich canvas of fruit flavors.
91 points -- tasted 12/29/2007 -BF $10
Lido Wine, Wilburs Total Beverage in Fort Collins, and Meridian Wine & Spirits carry this wine.
Are you a retailer that carries this wine?
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us and we'll add you to the 'where to find it' listing.
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Izakaya Den
We live in a fabulous culinary time. What was once unobtainable or rare is now fairly universal.
This has allowed imaginative chefs to create menus with no boundaries. They can mix Italian
ingredients with Mexican, French with Japanese. Different textures and flavors from all over
the world come together to create new taste sensations that have never been experienced before.
Izakaya Den embraces this philosophy by using ingredients from all types of cuisine and offers
an ingenious menu.
Izakaya Den is modeled from the sake bars in Japan, where locals go to let loose after a hard
day's work. While much of the artwork and other stylistic details were imported from Japan,
Izakaya Den is ultimately more sophisticated than your working stiffs' pub. Its unique
atmosphere is a cross between Japanese elegance and all those building materials that
make a space upscale and modern. Stone flooring and walls, bamboo partitions, soft lighting
and bold colors make the dining room uber chic.
But for me, atmosphere is merely a side bar to the menu. Where Izakaya Den offers a
fashionable place be seen, its menu is exponentially more exciting than its stylish dining room.
The menu is tapas style, the smaller portions allow you to order a few dishes, taking
advantage of the exhilarating variety.
-The crispy tuna is a must. (Pictured top left.) Topped with caviar, a rice dome is gilded with spicy coating
housed by ripe avocado and the most delicate, sweet raw tuna. Amazing!
-Don't miss the Izakaya Den short ribs with Korean marinade. Different than any barbeque
sauce you have ever had with its sweet, savory, and spicy flavors.
-The grilled Panzanella salad with jumbo lump crab, Colorado goat cheese, and pistachio
and plum wine vinaigrette would make any dieter swoon with its soft, yet crispy homemade croutons.
-The gingered waffle topped with Szechuan blackened Arctic char with ruby red grapefruit-basil
beurre blanc, and tamari whipped cream is inspirational. (Pictured right.) You'll find yourself dipping each bite
into the tamari whipped cream.
-The ginger sashimi uses ginger blossoms instead of ginger root, a delicate touch that makes
the dish unique and exceptional.
-And for those curry fans, don't miss the curried Maine lobster with an apricot-shallot
veloute. Creamy and exotic, the lobster melts in your mouth while the flavors sing.
Like the traditional sake dens of Japan, Izakaya Den is a wonderful place to sit and contemplate
your work day. For those who love Slow Food, Izakaya Den offers the chance to stretch out
your dining experience, enjoying each bite, every carefully balanced flavor, every dribble
of liquid genius, disguised as sauce.
Izakaya Den
1518 South Pearl St
Denver, CO 80210
303.777.0691
Izakaya Den
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Vocabulary
Each week we'll include a few wine (or beer or spirits) terms.
To read more terms go to the
vocabulary
page. This page will grow as we add more terms.
hot:
Refers to the distinct flavor of alcohol in a wine.
Wine can have high levels of alcohol, yet still not taste strongly alcoholic.
When a wine has a flavor of rubbing alcohol it is said to be hot.
It is considered a flaw and can be detected at many levels,
from slightly hot, where the rest of the characteristics make up for the strong flavor,
to unmistakably hot, where no matter how much fruit or flavor the wine offers otherwise,
the alcohol flavor is overwhelming.
Pinot noir is known for being hot as a flaw.
skin contact:
Skin contact is also called maceration.
Freshly picked grapes are crushed and allowed to soak with their skins to extract
color, tannins, flavor and other phenolic materials.
The skins form a cap on the top of the vat,
which is mechanically or manually punched back into the liquid
over several days to facilitate the extraction process.
Red wine grapes spend much time on their skins,
while the skins of white wine grapes are removed almost immediately.
Rose wines are generally made with red wine grapes,
but the juice rests on the skins for a short period of
time compared to when the grapes are made into red wine.
French oak:
Often called barrique, French oak barrels made from oak trees in
highly regarded forests.
Vosges, Nièvre, Alliers, Sarthe, Tronçais,
and Limousin are considered the best oak forests in the world
for cooperage (barrel making).
Oak barrels have been used for storing libations for centuries.
While American, Russian, and Slovenian oak are commonly used to age wine,
French oak is considered the best and consequently is most expensive.
The climate in these regions of France promote very slow growing.
Oak barrels made from oak from these forests,
imparting subtle flavors because of their tight grained wood.
French oak can be recognized by its vanilla, cinnamon, and clove characteristics.
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