Jersey Shore Vacation

Mitch received a bunch of encouraging feedback after he sent his "glimpse" email last week and figured he'd give it another go. This week he returned from a family vacation so most of these images have to do with enjoying libations down on the Jersey shore.  Feel free to share your images (or comments) with Mitch! You can send them to mitch_ancona@anconaswines.com or message him on instagram via www.instagram.com/anconaswines.

1 - While preparing for our road trip I packed only the essentials. This included plenty of wine, beer, and Corn Nuts. With a crowd of 9 in mind, I put together a mix of Champagne, French rosé, white Burgundy, lighter styled Italian reds, craft beer, and (of course) a few snacks. Can you spot the Slim Jim? Check out the other goodies here.

2 - Who knew that the chilled white would go so fast! As a result, I had to think of a quick way chill this Spanish Albarino. If you're ever in a pinch, here's how to chill a bottle of wine in no time at all: Step 1: Submerge bottle in ice, water & salt. Try to cover as much of the bottle as possible. Step 2: Twist bottle every minute or so for 10 minutes. Step 3: Pour and enjoy your chilled white (read chilled, not C-O-L-D).

3 - Summer offers perfect Rose drinking weather. As the season comes to a close we can expect warm, sunny afternoons to be replaced by an early setting sun and a slight chill in the air. My challenge for you is to enjoy at least one more bottle of Rose before Summer ends. You owe it to yourself! FYI -- Rose is an awesome food friendly wine and some of us drink it all year round!

4 - I find myself in wine shops no mater where I go. I can't help it! As they say "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." If you ever find yourself in Avalon, NJ you must check out "Fred's". No really, if you want a bottle of wine you have no choice, Fred's is the only game in town. Luckily Fred's offers a well rounded selection of wine, beer and spirits. Cheers to Fred!

5 - I realize that most breweries want to be regional, if not national. I find it refreshing to travel and enjoy brews that are only offered locally.  This Hopfish IPA brewed by Flying Fish Brewing Co. hails from Somerdale, NJ, about an hour away from where we were staying. It was the catch of the day! Get it? "Fish", "Catch", any who...

6 - On the flip side, it's also fun to turn friends on to local brews that are not distributed in their neck of the woods. I made sure to pack a few favorites to share down the shore. The Hoponius Union, brewed by Jack's Abby, is a really nice "cocktail" IPL (India Pale Lager). This semi-local beer, brewed in Framingham, MA, is light and crisp like a fine lager with just the right amount of west coast hops to satisfy IPA fans. While I was away, my staff received a bunch of other cool stuff from Jack's Abby. A big shout out to my brew crew for carving out a space in our cooler (a.k.a. "Beer Nirvana") for these awesome new beers. You can check out the rest of Jack Abby's lineup here.
 

 

7- As I was sippin' Rosé and sharing beer down the shore Ancona's Wine Director, Codey, was hard at work adding new wines to our racks. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it! During this tasting he discovered a great Cali Chard, Barra Mendocino Chardonnay. Here are his tasting notes: "The Barra Chardonnay from Mendocino is classic California Chard--decadent, crisp, and spectacularly balanced. Crisp buttery granny smith, pear, and allspice round out a full-flavored and sumptuous flavor profile. Fruit and oak harmonize for a full-body and a stellar mouthfeel. Great Cali Chard. Certified Organic grapes. Vegan friendly." Check out our other new additions here.

8 - The Summer Of Riesling continues, and what a wonderful Summer it's been. Here are two of our latest, and in my opinion greatest, additions to our Riesling rack: Dr. Thanische Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Kabinett '12 and Dr. Thanisch Bernkasteler Doctor Riesling Kabinett '12. If you enjoy a good tale do yourself the favor and read Codey's notes on the "Doctor".

9- When "reading" a wine bottle we often focus on the producer, area, varietal, vineyard and vintage -- all facts found on the front label. However, the back label is just as important as the front. Back labels offer key information on importers and suppliers of wine. One of my favorite importers is Kermit Lynch. His wines reflect a sense of place, varietal authenticity, and vintage specifity. He achieves this by only working with producers that craft their wines with minimal manipulation. In fact, he has been know to drop a producer if they stray too far from traditional wine making practices. When I take home a bottle with his name on the back label I can rest assured there is quality juice inside. Some of my other go-to importers/suppliers are Louis/Dressner, Neal Rosenthal and Becky Wasserman.