Two Special Holiday Treats

A sneak peak for you -  We are currently working on two special projects just for the holidays this year.  1. With Giacomo of Giacomo's Salumi, we are currently working on another limited edition, hand numbered salami for November.  We did this last year and sold out in about 36 hours so we plan to double production.  Each salami will be made with a unique recipe and a wine we sell in the store.  You will be able to buy the wine and the salami at a special price as a set. 2. With Durham cheese maker Alessandra Trompeo, we will have a special square Italian style cheese with Grove Winery's Nebbiolo and Sangiovese grape skins.  This cheese is in Italy is called  Formaggio Ubriaco or drunken cheese.  It doesn't have alcohol, but the name comes from aging it in the skins from wine grape pressings.  Stay tuned for updates as we get closer to their releases.  -Salamanzar

Foxy Red - Buy in Now!

This week we got the news that "Durham's House Red" aka Kit Fox winery's, Foxy Red, is probably going up in price starting in October.  So we took extreme measures and bought all the remaining inventory at the old price, 28 cases.  If you are a Foxy Red fan, now's your chance to buy in at the old price.   These last cases qualify for the "Just-In-Case" 20% discount on solid 12 bottle boxes. - Salamanzar

Prost! Octoberfest/Oktoberfest is here

As I sit here enjoying my third bottle of Bell's Octoberfest beer (not in a row), I have to express my enthusiasm for this malty beer.  When I used to give beer tours, there were two points I tried to make clear.  First, beer is like milk in that it has to stay cold, doesn't like light, and freshness really counts.  Beer will expire.  Second, beer is like fresh bread.  It's made from wheat and at its best, malty style beers are like bread right out of the oven.  That's what I taste in Bell's.

Octoberfest beers or as the Germans would write, Oktoberfest, may be misunderstood.  The festival actually starts in September and finishes in October.  It was the celebration for a king's marriage or was it a horse race?  The details vary depending on your source.  It may have been a marriage ending with a horse race.  The festival runs 16 days or so.  The beers served at Oktoberfest are all lagers and therefore the fruity and hoppy flavors are not as prevalent.

While Oktoberfest is traditionally a lager, not an ale, many US craft breweries go with an ale style beer because they are set up to brew ales and not lagers. Lagered beers require more storage and time in tank.  

What I really dig about the Bell's is that unlike his other hoppy and fruity ales, this one really emphasizes the malt of a great lager and shies away from the fruity esters of some ale yeast strains.  Without getting too technical, the brewer can use different ale strains to emphasize or de-emphasize the fruity flavors of an ale.  A lager is brewed with a different yeast and typically does not show fruity flavors.  I think it's an excellent example of a German Lager from a brewery that mainly produces ales.  It is fresh bread in a glass.  

As I am a hop head, but enjoy all great beers, Bell's Octoberfest is a nice change of pace to the malty side of life.   Bell's is difficult to find this year, but other Octoberfest beers are around if you can't find this one.  

Remember to always drink your beer from a glass.  It really tastes better than from the bottle.

 - Salamanzar

Alessandra's Cheese - Mah!

One of our favorite cheeses and cheese makers was profiled in this past week's Independent paper.  Alessandra Trompeo from Piemonte, Italy who now makes her Italian style cheeses here in Durham, had a great interview along with photos in the paper.  We sell her Duchessa cheese - savory, buttery and firm with nice salinity - perfect with a glass of Barbera wine, in the store. Her cheese business is called La Casa dei Formaggi.  You can read her article and meet her in the store Sept 10th, or buy her cheese any time we are open.  - Salamanzar  (The photo is Derek Anderson's from the Indy week article .)

Our First Birthday

On September 10th we will start our second year of business.  Wow. It has gone by fast and we have been thrilled by the community's support.  Thank you to everyone who has shopped and keeps shopping at Wine Authorities.  

We have a great party planned for Wednesday Sept 10th from 5 to 7 PM.  Everyone is invited for Artisan Cupcake's cupcakes, sparkling wine, Alessandra Trompeo of Casa dei Formaggi Cheese will be sampling, Karen McCallister of Counter Culture Coffee will be sampling decaf, and we have Cotton the Clown for the kids. Everyone is welcome.

In the mean time we are celebrating our 1st birthday with a bump you up 1 discount level for the week leading up to our party. Buy 6 to 11 mixed/matched bottles and you go from 10% to a 15% discount, buy a mixed case of 12 bottles and go from 15% to a 20% discount and for our designated Just-in-Case wines, you go from 20% to a 25% discount.  Thought you might want to know if you don't get our weekly email.  - Salamanzar

Stone Brewery Launching in NC

All the way from San Diego, CA the Stone Brewing Co. is getting ready to launch their beers in North Carolina.  The launch date will start with a party for everyone at Tyler's Taproom in Durham at American Tobacco on Wednesday September 17th and the beer ships to Wine Authorities and other retailers on Thursday the 18th.  Everyone is invited to the kick-off party at Tylers starting at 5 PM until close.  They are bringing special beers just for the party along with their regular line up.  They will have: Stone Pale Ale, Stone IPA, Arrogant Bastard Ale, Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale, Stone Ruination IPA, Stone Smoked Porter, Stone Levitation Ale, 2006 Double Bastard Ale, Stone 11th Anniversary Ale, Stone 07.07.07 Vertical Epic Ale, and the 2008 Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine!  

Wine Authorities will be selling the pale ale and the IPA in six packs to start, then work in seasonal products as they make their way from the West throughout the year.  Come have a pint with us and the Stone folks at Tyler's. See you there. - Salamanzar

All You to Know about BBQ

Thanks to our friend and customer, Nancy S., we have been enlightened by the videos by Rhett and Link on Youtube.  This video in particular is a great summary of the BBQ styles/types that exist in the South.  Since the Grand Poobah and I are BBQ lovers, we are going to have to learn all the words to this song and play it on the kazoo.

or click here: The BBQ Song

-Salamanzar