Harvest Wine & Spirits is a little wine shop with a big heart! Located at 842 Farmington Avenue in West Hartford, Connecticut, Harvest is a relaxed, laid back space where we go to buy wine, shop the best selection of beer in Connecticut's capital city and get our swerve on... always a great tasting going on, some great artists being featured and boss tunes playing.
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We’re Tasting from 5:30pm Tonight Friday December 14th, 2012
@842 Farmington Ave., West Hartford, CT 06119
Since 2004, Sixpoint has made hundreds of different beers, and there is no plan to stop this proliferation of styles. (Awesome!!!)
A wonderful evening of art supporting art. CONNetic Dance is having their annual fundraiser party at Art@StudioN111 at 75 Pratt Street. There will be a silent auction filled with beautiful art from prominent local acclaimed artists, wine provided by Harvest Fine Wine of West Hartford, the unveiling of the special Suite&Spicy chocolate created by Aruna Chocolates, and light food. You can meet the dancers and help us kick off our traditional holiday season performance of The Nutcracker Suite & Spicy! Tickets for the tasting are $40 per person and may be purchased in advanced or at the door. Come to the fundraiser and support the cast! #860-251-9194
(Mark your calendars! And to donate art supporting art for the auction contact wmjp1961@me.com.)
Harvest Wine & Spirits is a little wine shop with a big heart! Located at 842 Farmington Avenue in West Hartford, Connecticut, Harvest is a relaxed, laid back space where we go to buy wine, shop the best selection of beer in Connecticut’s capital city and get our swerve on… always a great tasting going on, some great artists being featured and boss tunes playing…
For the 2nd Annual Artful Tasting the Harvest Team will be presenting an eclectic and exciting tasting menu featuring…
D‘UVA BEER - A beer made with grapes? - Say what?
Valter Loverier strives to make beers that are special while pushing the boundaries of “extreme” beers but are still perfectly balanced all while using only locally sourced ingredients. His beers can surprise even the most curious palate.
OLD ENGINE OIL ENGINEER’S
RESERVE
Intensely flavored but ridiculously smooth, this is our fabulous Old Engine Oil brewed up to 9% ABV. Originally created as the base of our award-winning Ola Dubh, our master-brewer enjoyed it so much he felt it deserved its own release.
SCHLENKERLA OAK SMOKE
In the middle of the old part of Bamberg, directly underneath the cathedral is the Schlenkerla Brewery and Tavern. It was first mentioned in 1405, and now ran by the Trum family in the 6th generation. It is the origin of the Original Schlenkerla Smokebeer, a Bamberg Specialty.
+A Few Surprises… And Limited Bottles We will Open for Sampling…
Bottex Bugey Cerdon
“Ever so slightly sweet, it makes a delightful party wine… Vin du Bugey-Cerdon is an unusual non-vintage sparkling red wine from the Savoie in eastern France. A blend of 80% Gamay with 20% Poulsard (a local grape), Patrick Bottex’s ‘La Cueille’ is a deep rose in color with a lovely taste of wild strawberries. Ever so slightly sweet, it makes a delightful aperitif, or party wine. And with just 8% alcohol in it, you can feel free to open a bottle for an afternoon dessert fest. Perfect for garden parties. Pair it with strawberry shortcake, cookies and even soft, ripe cheeses.”
-L.A. Times
Terranoble Classic Sauvignon Blanc
“Made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc harvested in March from various vineyards in the Central Valley. The wine is fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks for two months prior to release from the winery.
This Sauvignon Blanc , offers you a wine with an attractive yellow color with greenish tones. It has intense aromas of tropical fruits, especially pineapple. It is a very fresh wine, dry and equilibrated. It has a good structure and a nice natural acidity which has a long permanence in the mouth. Ideal as an aperitif, with seafood and fish.”
The Rhone Gang Le Hold Up
“The Rhône Gangsters made an unpredictable but successful « hold-up » : they robbed delicious Pinot Noir and Grenache, and reinvented one of the coolest blends ever. Hold-up is a hedonistic wine, fresh and mineral, intense in the mouth, offering sexy notes of red fruits and Kirsch.”
Castano Monastrell “Bodegas Castano’s unoaked 2010 Monastrell (100%) is a glass-coating opaque purple color. Asian spices, incense, black fruits and chocolate compose the nose of this juicy, fruity, plush offering. Lengthy on the palate and well-balanced, this outstanding value will provide enjoyment for another 3-4 years.”
Tortoise Creek “Cherokee Lane” Cabernet Sauvignon
“Cherokee Lane” Cabernet Sauvignon is loaded with aromas and flavors of red and black cherries supported by vanilla and cedar nuances. It is beautifully balanced with both fruit and tannins. An ideal pairing with grilled meats, sausages or stews.
Old-fashioned punches have made a comeback on the bar scene, and rightfully so. Punch fell out of style in the United States decades ago as a result of a confluence of factors. The temperance movement was growing. Advances in the distillation and aging of liquors meant they didn’t need heavy manipulation to be enjoyed. And, perhaps most destructive of all, people started acting like they were too busy to enjoy a punch.You can put all those college memories of technicolor swill mixed in plastic tubs behind you. Punch is a history-steeped; festive family of drinks sipped by everyone from Jonathan Swift to Charles Dickens to Jane Austen to George Washington.
As the mighty buffalo thundered across the land, they carved paths in the wilderness and a destiny for our ancestors. These paths, known as traces, were soon marked with the footprints of adventurers, explorers and pioneers as they made their journey to the west. One such trace, called the Great Buffalo Trace, led to the rugged banks of what is now called the Kentucky River. It was here in Franklin County, just a short distance from Kentucky’s state capitol of today, that millions of buffalo found passage across the river in their move toward the Great Plains.
The migration of these herds left a rough, wide clearing that would become a gateway to a new frontier that invited renowned explorers and pioneers such as George Rogers Clark, Daniel Boone and countless settlers who pushed America westward more than 230 years ago.
The McAfee brothers made the first survey of the crossing site and the surrounding area in 1773. A settlement was founded at the crossing in 1775, when brothers Hancock and Willis Lee established their camp with a small company of men. The group fought for survival in the unforgiving conditions of a fierce wilderness, but by 1789 the area held a thriving population.
Those who settled there were quick to take advantage of the abundant limestone spring water and fertile bottom loam—found to be perfect for growing exceptional grain. Distillation soon followed, and what would become the area’s distinguished bourbon heritage took root.
The tradition of fine bourbon making has been a part of this site’s heritage for more than two centuries. In fact, there has been a working distillery on the grounds since 1787.
The first modern distillery was built on this site in 1857 and was the first to incorporate the use of steam power—a major advance in producing high-quality bourbon. The distillery was later purchased by E.H. Taylor Jr., one of Kentucky’s original bourbon aristocrats. Astute and innovative, Taylor brought advancements to the facility as well as to the entire whiskey industry. By 1886, the distillery had introduced the nation’s first climate-controlled warehousing for aging whiskey and had earned a worldwide reputation for producing America’s finest bourbons.
During the Prohibition era, the distillery’s existence was spared by the allowance of a permit–one of only four issued in the country–to continue distillation for medicinal purposes. After repeal, Albert Blanton took over the operation of the distillery and added many quality control enhancements. An innovator in his own right, Blanton enjoyed producing single-barrel bourbon for himself and his friends. This tradition was honored in 1984 when the distillery became the first to commercially market a single-barrel bourbon.
Today the Buffalo Trace Distillery site encompasses 119 acres and 114 buildings. The George T. Stagg distillery was renamed Buffalo Trace in June 1999 and introduced its flagship bourbon, Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, in August 1999. In addition to Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, the distillery has a history of other finely crafted, award-winning spirits, including Blanton’s, W.L Weller, Old Charter and Eagle Rare. The distillery has won more international awards since 1990 than any other North American distillery, earning more than 160 distinctions in national and international competitions, including seven “Distillery of the Year” awards, since 2000.
Join us for Harvest Wines Friday
We’re Tasting from 5:30pm…
842 Farmington Ave., West Hartford, CT 06119
Featuring…
100% Falanghina, made using the Martinotti lungo method of fermentation to maintain traditional flavors of the region, fine perlage (smaller, more numerous bubbles), floral aromas, fresh fruit, citrus, minerality and a tropical bouquet.
The dry style Riesling is the signature of Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard. Exceptional grapes from each of our three vineyard locations come together to create this mouth-watering wine. This wine is fermented in small lots to ensure quality and then blended to perfection to create an elegant and balanced wine. With each vintage, we seek to match the appropriate level of fruit flavor with refreshing crispness that lets the true qualities of the Riesling grape shine through. Hints of lime and orange blossom on the nose set the stage for a succulent palate of apricot and grapefruit. Our trademark minerality creates a beautiful texture that carries into a long, lingering finish.
Much like Riesling, Gewürztraminer is a variety that is ideally placed in the cool climate of the Finger Lakes. This wine draws from the oldest planting of Gewürztraminer in the region and subsequently exhibits outstanding depth and maturity. A long harvest in 2011 allowed for a long ripening period, resulting in outstanding flavors. This dry-style wine accentuates the characteristic floral and spice notes particular to Gewürztraminer. A vivid flowery bouquet with hints of peach and spice masterfully prepare the way for a silky mouthful of melon and a touch of coriander.
Join us for Harvest Wines Friday
We’re Tasting from 5:30pm…
842 Farmington Ave., West Hartford, CT 06119
Featured Red Wines for Rainy Days…
Grapes : 30% Grenache 70% Pinot noir
The Rhône Gangsters made an unpredictable but successful « hold-up » : they robbed delicious Pinot Noir and Grenache, and reinvented one of the coolest blends ever. Hold-up is a hedonistic wine, fresh and mineral, intense in the mouth, offering sexy notes of red fruits and Kirsch.
30 % Grenache from old vines (60 years old vines growing on limestone soils) from the Southern Rhône valley, and 700% Pinot noir from Burgundy and a cool climate region with calcareous marl soils, ideal for growing Pinot Noir grapes. Both are hand sorted and carefuly selected by the gang at perfect ripeness.
After picking, the Pinot noir undergoes a cold premaceration (or cold soak), and a 15 days fermentation with everyday pigeage to keep the wine fresh. Aged in Stainless-steel tanks.
The Grenache is not destemmed and undergoes a long fermentation. Aged in tanks, with a minimal handling approach (just a few rackings during the whole pre-bottling life of the wine) to keep the freshness and the fatness of the wine.
“Springy, berry character, generous bodied, moderate alcohol style wine with lively freshness. So and smooth tannins that leave the finish to the bright fruit.” ~ Winery notes
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
The 2010 Zinfandel is a ridiculously fine wine for the money. It bursts from the glass with rich dark fruit, mocha, spices and new leather to match its huge, exuberant personality. This is quite a mouthful. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2015. These two wines from the Jim and Bob Varner’s Foxglove negociant label deliver tremendous value. 
(8/ 2012)
At the core of Foxglove is Bob Varner, also the winemaker at Varner Wines. Beginning with their first vintage in 1991, Bob sources the wine from a variety of places, all of which are in Edna Valley. The resulting wine has Central Coast appellation pricing, and is full of complex fruit flavors that the Edna Valley appellation is known for.
Edna Valley, a relatively small appellation, grows mostly Chardonnay on about 1000 acres. The entire acreage is tightly controlled by a few owners employing the most up-to-date vineyard practices that give the valley impressive evenness. Located just south of San Luis Obispo, its vineyards are some of California’s closest to the Pacific Ocean. Mild winters, cool, foggy summer, and clay-loam soils produce a combination of flavors that have been described as “textbook Central Coast.”
Want to taste four really delicious Scotches? I’ll be at Harvest Wine and Spirits this Friday from 5-7PM pouring Glenmorangie’s Original 10yr and the trio of cask-finished 12yrs. These are light, expressive Scotches - perfect for Father’s Day. Try before you buy, and shop to the best package store soundtrack in CT, courtesy of Ian @thewine!
