April Tasting – Don’t Panic, We’ve Got Organics!                 

Monthly Tasting @ Stella Blues – Sunday, April 27th, 3-5 pm

Tasting Etiquette:  Please allow us to serve you.

We appreciate your Kokua so that everyone may share in the same experience.

Mahalo, from your dedicated cheese, wine & beer team! Note of appreciation:  Perfumes

and other fragrances are discouraged at all tastings. 

#1.  Pircas Negras 2007 Torrontes – Famatina Valley, La Rioja, Argentina $17.99

Floral and deliciously crisp, with slight honey and citrus aromas. This white wine has flavors of ripe peach, pear, grapefruit, and orange blossom with subtle sweetness on the finish. Argentina’s answer to Viognier. Made with organically grown grapes.

Caprino – Alta Langa, Bosia, Northern Italy                        $8.00 each

A bright and vivacious little organic goat! Hints of citrus, lush velvety feel on the mouth. Served with butter lettuce and drizzled with Virgin Lands extra virgin “cold extracted” avocado oil from Chile.

#2.  Can Vendrell, Chardonnay/Xarello – Penedes, Spain $23.99

Vegan and organic, a unique blend of the native Spanish grape Xarello (60%) and Chardonnay (40%). Unoaked, exotic, crisp, and clean. A floral and citrus nose unveils a palate that is fresh with notes of peach, nectarine, honeysuckle and orange/lemon zest. Nuances of mineral, spice and almond on the finish. This wine is from the first acclaimed winemaker in Spain to go organic!

Lamb Chopper, sheep – Holland                                                 $29/lb

In Holland, cheesemaker, Mary Keehn, discovered a Gouda maker who works with sheep milk and Cypress Grove Lamb Chopper was born. This sheep milk Gouda is a smooth, almost buttery, organic cheese with a light and fruity aroma. One taste will not satisfy you as the surprising sweetness of this cheese lingers on your palate. Though it might be mild in intensity, this thoroughly addicting cheese has great depth of flavor. Drizzled with Eturia blood orange olive oil from Umbria and accompanied by a dried fruit medley.

#3.  Nuevo Mundo, Cabernet/Malbec – Maipo Valley, Chile $27.99

Organic and vegan, this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (75%) and Malbec (25%), aged in French oak for 14 months, creates a finished product that is nicely balanced between notes of fruit, spice and earth. Aromas of berries, spice and cocoa. On the palate, bold, rich blueberry, cassis and black currant fruits are accented by subtle nuances of espresso bean, vanilla, cinnamon, and cedar. The winemaker Marcelo Retamal is a perfectionist and was named Chilean Wine Producer of the Year in 2005. 14.5% Alcohol.

Ossau Iraty – Pyrenees, France                                                  $30/lb

A subtly sharp cheese with a parmesean texture, earthy undertones and clean finish. This cheese is an artisan cheese which means it is handcrafted and made in small batches. It is paired with dry Italian salami and Italian “surfboards” to compliment its complexity.

#4.  Hallcrest Powerhouse Pinot Noir – Mendocino, CA                       $46.99

A Gold Medal winning Pinot Noir created by winemaker John Schumacher, devoted to sourcing organically grown grapes and part of his production is devoted to truly organic wines (sulfite free) of good quality.

Fontina d' Aosta, cow – Italy                                                     $25/lb

Cave aged, Fontina is made only in the steep-sided Val d'Aosta in the Italian Alps. The paste is smooth and buttery, when young. As the cheese matures for 7 months it becomes darker and much drier. Sweet and nutty, Fontina has a complex, balanced taste and a light aroma. It is made exclusively with raw, full-cream milk, from the Valdaostan breed of cows, fed on grass during the summer and local hay throughout the rest of the year. The milk is made into cheese within two hours of milking so as to preserve all its genuine qualities and fragrance. Served warm with bruschetta on toasted crostini.

#5.  Hallcrest Clos de Jeaninne 2001,Rhone blend – Mendocino, CA $16.99

A light-bodied, friendly Rhone red blend. The Hallcrest blends are meant to be fun and readily drinkable. They combine different grape varieties and different vineyards from all over California to concoct proprietary blends that can’t be found anywhere else in the world.

Dolce Gorgonzola, cow – Italy $25/lb

Italy's most famous blue, and deservedly so! Spicy and earthy, with a pronounced sweet finish (hence the "Dolce" part of the name), this luxuriously creamy cheese becomes more assertive as it ages. Consistently pale paste with blue-green striations when it's young, Gorgonzola develops a pinkish-brown coloring just under the natural rind as it ages. Perched upon anItalian “tortellini” breadstick and dolloped with Oregon Growers’ Zinfandel Cherry fruit spread.

NOTES/ORDER:

Don’t forget to take advantage of the 10% discount on all of our featured products today only!

**Ask about our super secret special tasting**   Next Month’s Tasting: Sunday, May 25^th, 3-5pm - Wonders from Down Under - Australian & New Zealand wines. Location: Stella Blues. $27 per person.  Reserve now to ensure your place.

1279 S. Kihei Road #309, kihei, HAWAII 96753, 808~874~3930 fax 808~879~0908