If you grew up in certain parts of the states, you may remember celebrating Mexico’s independence on May fifth as a kid by smashing a piñata full of candy with a stick. That would be all fine and dandy, except Cinco de Mayo isn’t actually Mexico’s independence day (a persistent misconception), and interestingly, isn’t as big a holiday in Mexico as it is in other parts of the world. You can get all the facts straight on Wikipedia, but no worries – however Cinco de Mayo ends up being celebrated, it can be a fun holiday paying tribute to the wonderful and diverse culture and history of Mexico. A history that is rich with self-determination and struggle, and more recently, rich with fine spirits (like the custom tequila we had bottled a while back) and beer. Which is why this Cinco de Mayo we’re featuring specials on Grupo Modelo’s popular line of beers, as well as two other items. The first person to guess why we’re featuring the last two items wins a cookie… (more…)

As we pointed out last year when we highlighted some affordable, accessible wine and bubbly for Valentine’s Day, if you’re getting into the real spirit of the holiday, you’re not necessarily wanting to pick a wine that’s going to start a highbrow debate about the Robert Parker score and whether the bottle has been cellared properly. No, as much as “being sweet” has taken some knocks in modern times, both in terms of sentiment and in the world of wine, sweet is back. And bubbles never went out of fashion anyway! So below we’re highlighting one of each. The Cherry On Top wines slide comfortably into that new realm of sweet wines made acceptable over the last couple of years by the surprising meteoric rise of Moscato. And the Rosa Regale – while less sweet – has its roots in hundreds of years of of winemaking in one of Italy’s smallest production zones, the Brachetto d’Acqui Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita. It not only has an excellent label for a romantic day like Valentine’s Day, the wine inside is actually quite wonderful! By the way, if you’re still trapped in the odd perception that sweet wine is somehow inferior, check out this NYT piece, which talks about the perplexing consumer resistance to sweet wine. As Marc Parcé of Domaine de la Rectorie observes in the linked article: “It’s bizarre. People have never consumed more sugar than they do today, but no one wants to drink sweet wine.” Well, let’s fix that. Don’t be afraid of a little sweetness this Valentine’s Day!

	Rosa Regale has a delicate bouquet of rose petals and offers sensuous flavors of fresh raspberries and strawberries. Its effervescence is softer than that of champagne, yet it yields a persistent and delicate pink froth. Its lively garnet color makes other sparklers pale in comparison. No wine pairs better with chocolate than Rosa Regale. a celebration.
	Cherry On Top Red is deliciously sweet, lush with fruit, and easy to drink, with a smooth finish. Enticing aromas and flavors of bright red cherry, baking spice and vanilla. Created from a blend of Syrah, Zin, Merlot, Tempranillo & Grenache
	Cherry On Top White possesses floral aromatics, is sweet and lively with fruit, and easy to drink. Aromatics of peach cobbler complimented by fresh stone fruit and a honeyed finish. Blend of White Rielsing, Gewurztraminer, Chenin Blanc and Viognier. Like Moscato? You’ll love it.

Well, 2012 wasn’t the end of the world, but the end of the holiday season and the beginning of a bold new year are upon us. That’s why we’ve once again selected a few of our over one-hundred sparkling wines and specially priced them for New Year’s Eve. The days of premium prices for premium sparklers are long gone, so you can easily break out the bubbly without breaking the bank. We’ve previously pointed out that “Too Much Champagne” Is An Oxymoron and suggested Champagne For Your Real Friends, Real Pain For Your Sham Friends, and although some of those featured wines might not still be available, the items featured will give you a good idea of the breadth of our selection. We may have others on special; you’ll have to stop by the store and see for yourself! But selecting some nice bubbly isn’t the ONLY thing a good host should be thinking about this New Year’s Eve. We definitely encourage the enjoyment of fine drink around the holidays, but only if it’s done RESPONSIBLY. And if you’re hosting a holiday party this year, the well-being of your guests is YOUR responsibility. Here are some quick reminders for how to have a safe holiday celebration:

Check Keys Like Coats - This is a great way to make sure you see EVERY guest as they leave to see what kind of shape they’re in. Any guest who has a problem with this may have problems with other things, like sensible drinking.

Have One Or More Designated Drivers On Hand – Taxis can be hard to come by on New Years Eve. Make sure you have one or more people in attendance who will commit to staying COMPLETELY sober, and willing to give rides throughout the evening.

Feed Them, Water Them, Don’t Overserve - This is no-brainer stuff. Make sure you have plenty of food and NON alcohol beverages on hand. And SLOW DOWN the serving of drinks as the party progresses, don’t SPEED IT UP! And STOP serving well before the party ends.

Those are some basics, but for a much more expansive list, the Michigan Liquor Control Commission has a handy guide called Responsible Party Host Tips (269KB, PDF)

HAVE FUN, BUT BE SAFE!
IF YOU DRINK, DRINK RESPONSIBLY!

Specials below: (more…)

Although many fear that the world will end this year in the Aporkalypse or Carmageddon, or that we’ll all be driving off a fiscal cliff, we’re pretty sure that all that will happen on December 21st is that the days will start getting longer like they do every year, and a few days later Christmas will be here once again. And a few days after that, those fussbudgets in Washington will work out a deal to keep the economy chugging along. That’s why we’ve gone ahead and selected some wine specials and Christmas beers to help you round out your holiday shopping without breaking the bank. This year’s Christmas beer selection has some of the same beers featured last year and the year before, a few of which are no longer in production. Like Mikkeller Santa’s Little Helper, Serafijn Christmas Angel, Ølfabrikken Winter Porter, Nøgne Ø Jolly Pumpkin Special Holiday Ale. Wow. That’s a lot of Ø’s. By the way, have you ever wondered what that “Ø” character is called? Believe it or not, it’s called an “Ø” .

If that someone special on your list is more partial to distilled spirits than beer or wine, and if money is no object, or if you want to drive off your OWN fiscal cliff, we’re here to help*. A couple of years ago, we pointed out that right above your head at Main Party is a treasure trove of exotic premium spirits, from the Dewar’s Signature Boxed set for a mere $241.53, to the Remy Martin Louis XIII Cognac for just under two thousand. This year’s pricey collector’s items top out with the amazing Macallan Masters of Photography collector’s edition. The 30 Year Rankin Edition is priced at $2158.39. We also have the 20 Year Albert Watson Edition for $1215.24. But you don’t have to spend THAT much for a unique bottle of fine spirits; many of the hundreds of items on the shelves near the ceiling are less than fifty dollars, and make for a fine holiday gift. Holiday shopping got you down? Chin up, and you may find the perfect gift! (more…)

Enough is enough!

This Thanksgiving, let’s all give thanks for the fact that the whole Bacon Turducken thing seems to have faded from the limelight. If you were lucky enough to miss it, it started with roasting a duck inside a turkey, which – in the internet age of bacon fascination – inevitably led to a version wrapped in bacon, and probably reached an unchallengeable apex with the Turgoodukfowmalsinquaparquabantenuck. That is the likely name of the result of roasting a turkey – stuffed Russian nested doll-style – with a goose, a Barbary duck, a Guinea fowl, a Mallard, a Poussin, a Quail, a  Partridge, a Pigeon squab, a Pheasant, a Chicken, and an Aylesbury duck. Who knows why they stopped there; there are smaller birds, if we’re not mistaken.
As we pointed out last year, selecting wine for Thanksgiving dinner can be enough of a challenge with the riot of flavors on the typical table, a challenge compounded by the unpredictable contributions by our guests, which may include time-honored American traditions like Jell-O with things floating in it, or sweet potatoes baked with marshmallows. Or that other classic “recipe” that is basically a can of green beans and a can of cream of mushroom soup sprinkled with dried onions. Sorry to give your secret ingredients away, Auntie Emma.
So once again this year, we’ve selected some wines that are versatile and reasonably priced to get things rolling. These are just some starters based on versatility and price; with over 3,000 wines in stock, if you already know what you’re looking for, we probably have something to suit your needs! But if you DON’T know what you’re looking for, look for the little turkeys amongst the shelf talkers. Even if the featured wine isn’t (more…)