Cool Springs Wines & Spirits hosted another is our series of regional wine tour tasting events on Wednesday April 25, 2012, in the Overlook tasting room.  A great group of wine drinkers from all walks of life showed up to have fun, taste some great wines and learn something about Oceania (Australia and New Zealand wines).  It’s not just about sitting around drinking wine, but so much more.

The CSWS Tour Series of wine tastings - traveling the world through wine.

CSWS created our “Tour Series” of wine tastings to introduce our customers and friends to new wines and new wine producing regions of the world.  So far this year we
have “travelled” through France, Spain, Italy, Chile, Argentina and finally Australia and New Zealand.  In structuring wine tasting events in this manner, we introduce cool wines from regions that a number of our customers have not yet visited.  Instead of making a large group of adults sit down and work their way through wines like in a classroom, we employee a relaxed in-direct learning method with a number of one on ones or small group discussions about the wines and where they come from.  Response to these tastings has been overwhelming and our team at CSWS has had a wonderful time with them.  The Tour of Oceania was no exception.  The wines were supplied by Athens Distributing Company of Nashville and Mr. Rick Reilly, Wine Sales Manager, was on hand to talk with our customers about the wines along with members of the CSWS team.

Don't fancy drinking wine with a Kiwi Bird or a Kangaroo? Join in on a CSWS wine tasting tour instead.

Wines from New Zealand included The Crossings Sauvignon Blanc and Oyster Bay Pinot Noir.  From Australia CSWS featured three cool wines from the niche producer
d’Arenberg.  These included the white blend Hermit Crab that contains Viognier and Marsanne.  Also poured was the d’Arenberg Laughing Magpie.  This is a unqiue wine as
it is a blend of red wine (Shiraz) and a very small amount of white wine (Viognier).  Both of these wines are an homage to wines from France’s Rhone valley.  Finally,
we poured the d’Arenberg High Trellis Cabernet Sauvignon and Fetish “The Watcher” Barossa Shiraz.  We concluded the night by pouring at our in-store tasting bar a lovely sparkingling Spanish Cava, Segura Aria Pinot Noir.

Between the great wines, tasty finger foods and the wonderfully curious learning atmosphere, everyone had a great time.  The most rewarding aspect of these events is
that the CSWS team gets to spend a lot of time with our customers talking about wines and wine regions.  We incorporated some maps to talk about wines as well as spoke
about the history of wine varietals and their respective travels around the globe.

Join CSWS for our wine tasting events in the Overlook. You'll have fun, meet new friends and learn something cool about wine.

If you haven’t attended a Cool Springs Wines & Spirits tasting in our Overlook tasting room, you are missing out on a lot of fun and cool information.  CSWS will
resume our “Tour Series” in September.  However, don’t forget about our Cinco de Mayo Tequila tasting on Wednesday May 2.   Reservations are required.   Also coming
before the end of May is our Empire Day Celebration featuring a Single Malt Scotch Whiskey tasting.   Check out of our web site for forthcoming details.

In my former professional life I was always on the run and had to settle for running into the wine shop.  I did not have time to look around at Cool Springs Wines & Spirits and speak with the staff about new and interesting wines.  I resolved this by becoming the General Manager.  But what about everyone else?  Good question, but there is a good solution.

How can a great wine shop like Cool Springs Wines & Spirits resolve this issue?  We are implementing a fabulous new program for our customers who are both on the go, but want to try new and interesting wines.  The CSWS Personal Wine Nook Program is available for any busy adult who wants to experience and enjoy new and different wines but does not have the time to grab a shopping cart and one of our knowledgeable team members for a guided tour of our offerings.

The CSWS Personal Wine Nook Program works like this; sign up using our survey and application.  By answering a few short questions we can find out generally what you like and how much you are willing to spend on a bottle of wine.  Using this information, we can look through our staggering wine selection and find new and different wines for you to try.  We will email you the information about the wines we select and leave the bottles in your personal wine nook, a physical place in the store, and at your leisure you can decide if these are wines you want to try.
Every two weeks CSWS will place new wines in your nook for consideration.  There is no obligation to buy any of these wines.  Just simply let us know if you are interested in any or all of them.  Next time you swing by the store, your shopping will have already been done.  You simply need to collect the wines you want from your nook and pay for them.

Cool Springs Wines & Spirits knows your time is valuable and we want to maximize your wine drinking experience.  Next time you have a few minutes to stop by the shop, ask one of our sales team members for more information about our nook program.  It is also available to high gravity beer drinkers and spirits drinkers.

I wish something like this was available when I was rushing into the shop.  This will save so much time for busy professionals, home makers, and everyone else on the go!

We remember the days when the only wines that came packaged with a screw cap closure were kept on the lowest shelf in the back of the store.  The same thing was true with wine in a box.  You know what?  Times and technologies have changed, and for the better.  Cool Springs Wines & Spirits offers a wide array of wines with screw cap closures and wines in a box.  Let’s explore and debunk the mysteries and myths behind the use of these closures and containment systems.

New technologies and materials allow us to debunk myths about screw caps.

We were tickled to read an article about a very prestigious winery, Plumpjack, who offers a limited reserve Cabernet Sauvignon with a screw cap closure and presented it at a wine event.  An event attendee challenged a winery representative regarding the use of a screw cap on a high value wine ($155.00 retail).  This is a perfect point at which to let the Genie out of the bottle so to speak.

The global wine industry has been aggressively pursuing alternative closure systems for many years.  Why?  This is simply not just an issue of supply and demand with cork from Portugal.  This also has to do with eliminating TCA or 2,4,6-trichloroanisole, also known as “Cork Taint” this is a compound nurtured by cork that will infrequently taint wine and render it undrinkable.  It is also found on some Central and South American coffee.  It is important to note that this only happens in 3 to 4 percent of all bottlings, but is a great inconvenience.

While cork is the most environmentally produced wine bottle closure system, it takes a significantly long time for Cork Oak trees to produce enough of the bark used to make cork.  The majority of cork used for wine bottle closures comes from the Iberian peninsula, Spain and Portugal, two wine producing nations.

A major player in alternative closure systems for the wine industry is the Stelvin Screw Cap.  These screw caps have set the standard in the global wine industry.  They are air-tight and similar in appearance to traditional packaging.  First used in Australia and Switzerland in the mid 1970′s, these closure systems are now accepted within the industry world-wide.

Stelvin Screw Caps are the industry standard for alternative systems.

However, there still remains consumer resistance to the screw cap closure system for all of the wrong reasons.  Wineries have been hesitant to jump head long into the use of screw caps simply because of consumer resistance in viewing any wine with a screw cap to be cheap and of poor quality.  This is no longer an issue.  While certain low quality wines continue to use the basic threaded screw cap systems as a part of their packaging, the use of the Stelvin Screw Cap enclosure system is a statement made by the wine’s producer that this is a quality wine worth protecting from bacterial and fungal infection.  Simply put, perception is not reality.  Stelvin Screw Capped wines are a good thing, now get over it.

The same can be said of boxed wines.  Years ago, boxed wines had the same market impression as wines with screw caps - yuck!  Again, times and technologies have changed.  Bag in a Box or B-I-B, technologies utilize metalized film and plastic layers to create thin, liquid tight containment systems to hold such things as wine.  Ever pour yourself a fountain drink at a fast food restaurant?  Odds are the components of the soft drink came from a Bag in a Box system.  Concerned about wine spoilage via oxidation?  Fixed – newer vacuum seal technologies correct this problem at the wine box spigot.  No reverse air-flow affecting your boxed wine.  Boxed wines still have four to five week viability after opening.  3 to 5 liters of wine have never lasted two weeks in our homes, let along five.  Concerned about bag taint, fixed – the new metalized/plastic bags do not have powders inside that affect the taste of wines.  These clean bag bladders are also used in hydration systems like those employed by Camelback albeit using thicker materials.

Many fast food restaurants utilize Bag in a Box technologies.

The only issue that the wine industry has not been able to resolve is long term ageing in boxes.  Wine barrels and wine bottles remain the industry standard for ageing wine.

One final note on boxed wines, the carbon foot print for boxed wines is roughly 50 percent less than traditionally packed wine in a glass bottle.  Additionally, the overwhelming majority of boxes used to package boxed wines are recyclable and/or contain recycled content.

With spring having sprung and wine drinkers taking their wines back outside to their patios, decks, boats, pools and gardens, having alternative packaging systems for their wines is critical.  At Cool Springs Wines & Spirits we have numerous choices in Stelvin Screw Cap system wines as well as great quality wines packaged in the Bag in Box systems or boxed wines.  Don’t be left inside this summer.  Take your wine outside and have fun!

With little fan fare we are slipping from an early spring and into summer here in Middle Tennessee.  At Cool Springs Wines & Spirits our thoughts are already targeting cool and refreshing white and rosé wines.  With so many to choose from where does an intrepid shopper begin.  This posting begins now with a punch list to keep you busy, cool and refreshed throughout the blistering summer.

We cannot discount the impact that New World wine regions have had on the global wine scene with their plump, ripe fruit and high alcohol levels but it is the Old World we will look at in terms of indigenous grapes and traditional hot climate zones for our cool quaffers this summer.

In conducting in-store tastings we have witnessed massive interest in white wines such as Albariño from Spain’s northwest region of Rias Baixas.  Galicia’s climate and rugged coast line gives this dazzling varietal something special.  A beautiful, racy, aromatic and flavorful white wine that is meant to be consumed young, this is one of seafood’s best partners.  Yes, Spain is a warm, dry place and wine making traditions that pre-date the appearance of the Romans and Phoenicians.  The original Celtic-Iberians were making wine in Spain for a much longer time.  Why?  Need cool quaffers for the hot summer just as we do today.  How about Rioja Blanco featuring the Garnacha Blanca, Malvasia and Viura grapes?  Barrel aged and bottle aged for varying amounts of time depending upon their classification – Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva – these round, but light classy wines are marvelous.

Galicia's rugged beauty, its seafood and white wines are no longer a secret.

How about something from another part of the Iberian peninsula?  A store and customer favorite for several years is Portugal’s Vinho Verde.  This young wine can be made from a combination of twenty five different grapes such as Loureiro, Pederña and Trajadura.  Slightly effervescent and always refreshing this low alcohol cooler is a proven patio pleaser.

And then there is France.  Dying for a Chardonnay?  Go to Burgundy and have a ball exploring all of the different white wine zones in this region such as Chablis and the Maçon.  Whether you like oak barrel aged or not, there are numerous choices here to enjoy.  Don’t like Chardonnay, how about a delightful Sauvignon Blanc from Saint Bris instead?

Bordeaux the nexus of red wine but is also a region for the most austere and refreshing Sauvignon Blancs in the world.  Don’t want to spend a King’s ransom on a white wine?  There are many, many Bordeaux Blancs to choose from.  Some even have Semillon and Muscadet in them as well, yum!

The Loire valley also has some Sauvignon Blancs treats for a thirsty drinker.  How about a smashing Sancerre?  Too zippy for you?  Then trot over to Vouvray and enjoy an exquisite Chenin Blanc based wine that can be had in different guises such as dry or demi-sec. 

The Rhône valley’s white wines have achieved legendary status and the northern Rhône’s white ave also achieved legendary prices.  Move south, closer to Avignon in the south and away from Lyon in the north and you will find amazing white wines many blended with Viognier, Marsanne, Rousanne, Bourboulenc, Picpoul de Penet, Grenache Blanc and Clairette.  It doesn’t matter if you recognize these grapes or not, these wines are round, aromatic and delicious.

The Rhone valley's charm and wines captured the hearts of the ancient Romans.

France’s massive wine region of Languedoc – Roussillon offers white wine drinkers incredible quality to price ratios.  Many of the same varietals of the Rhône are found here along with Grenache Gris and Rolle.  Great flavors and prices!

Along France’s southern coast line in around Provence you will find some of the most delicate Rosés and soft white wines.  These are worth searching out for their exceptional quality. 

With over one thousand registered wine grapes, Italy has a staggering amount of white wines to choose from.  Searching out quality Pinot Grigio is always fun.  However, it is all of the “Other” available white wines that is the real mission here.  Try the following – Verdicchio, Vermentino, Vernaccia, Arneis, Orvieto, Gavi, Frascatti, and more.  So many really cool and tasty white wines. 

Alfresco dining and wonderful white wines, great Italian exports.

Not many think of Germany as being a hot place, however, I have spent a summer in southern Germany, 1994, when it was so hot (day time temps around 40 C -95 F plus).  What was the saving factor here?  Riesling, Riesling and more Riesling.  Step up a little in quality and find the balanced wines that consider residual sugar levels, acid and alcohol levels as a marriage.  Rieslings like this can be out of this world.

The Rheinland-Pfalz is home to Germany's greatest Rieslings.

There are other wines as well as sparkling wines and many more Rosé wines to be found.  But with the information above, a wine drinker can spend not only this summer but several summers tasting their way through many regions and grape varietals.

The best part is you do not have to travel the world to get these cool beauties.  Cool Springs Wines & Spirits stocks these delightful gems and we have the staff to teach you all about them.