2005 Guigal  Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge 1/2 bottle
I love half bottles- you’ll love them too, especially if you have trouble getting through a whole bottle of wine, on a budget or like to taste several wines at a time.

Here is a real value no matter the reason. The name Guigal has been trusted by The Party Source for years. With this historic vintage now in a half-bottle, I promise all you medium to full bodied red wine lovers you will enjoy this one.   The 2005 vintage is all but drunk from CdR- these half bottles are some of the final remains.

Cheers!

Danny

One year ago on Memorial Day weekend, Mary Claire Schnier was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. She is doing great! Mary Claire wanted to raise money and some attention to finding a cure for her disease. Mary Claire’s father, Lou, asked The Party Source if they would host a wine tasting to benefit Mary Claire’s cause and we were happy to do so.

On Tuesday, June 30th the wine tasting was held at EQ.
Mary Claire raised over $700 and all the proceeds from the event are being donated to  Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Diabetes Center!  Keep up the good work Mary Claire – together we can beat this disease!

The EQ Staff

The Lackey 2006 Shiraz
This is one supped up and glossy wine with tons of bells and whistles. The Lackey doesn’t lack anything especially power and intensity. It pours a cross between raspberry jam and midnight in color, blowing off a bouquet of crushed herbs, black pepper, earth, oak, and vanilla and blackberry liquor. This BIG Aussie some how pulls off a pleasant harmony on the finish making it very desirable for either your wine cellar or backyard barbeque.

Cheers!

Danny

Another fun evening was had by all last Friday night at Krohn Conservatory.  Not only did we shake some great cocktails and eat some fantastic appetizers, Diana Hoffman and Gary from Kama Salsa taught us some sexy salsa dance moves and Hannah Eaton from Mitchell’s Salon and Day Spa dazzled us with slick tricks for stylish summer party hairstyles and make-up.  The swag bags were filled to the brim with hand fans from the Bitty Breeze, Sunglasses, a sample bottle of Taste of Florida Mango Real Fruit Mixers and Hypnotic, mints, lip balm and coupons.  Check out the event photos and join us for our next Girl’s Night Out @ Krohn Conservatory on October 9th for “How to Host a Wine Tasting Party” presented by  Amy Tobin , party planner extraordinare.

See you there!

Connie Volker
EQ Event and Marketing Director

by Jay Erisman, EQ Wine and Spirits Manager

First printed in our Fall 2007 Drinks magazine, this post recounts my trip to Mexico with our tobacconist Eric Brown in May of ‘07. I’ll post future articles on both the El Tequila of Carlos Camarena and the palenqueros of Oaxaca. But the short version is this: there is no more skilled or passionate Tequila producer than Carlos Camarena; and possibly the only Mexican spirits that surpass his El Tesoro Tequila are the single village mezcals of Del Maguey. Visit again next week for a look at our new favorite Tequila.

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by Jay Erisman, EQ Wine and Spirits Manager

Local wine blogger and frequent EQ student Michelle Lentz is throwing her ruby slippers in the ring to nab what has got to be one of the all-time greatest internships. Murphy-Goode Winery in Sonoma County, California, is looking for a rare specimen, someone skilled at both social media and wine, for a six month job as a lifestyle reporter. Applicants are to submit a one minute video explaining why they are perfect for the gig. I think Michelle nailed it, but then I am perhaps rooting for the hometown team and a pal of mine. C’mon…she teaches Twitter. Here is Michelle’s Murphy-Goode page, where you can cast your vote–or just click the video below. And check out Michelle’s dedicated website–Oz looks more fun than ever with a bit of wine!

The Wines of Merryvale
Napa, California
Recently,  at the Reserve restaurant on the Levee, we had 46 people out to dinner (my 3rd biggest tasting yet). At the dinner we met Paul Cimenero with Merryvale who gave some great stories and history on Merryvale. We poured and paired these wines with a great menu. Here are the results.

Merryvale Chardonnay $17.99 with tempura fried Lobster.
Why? One of the food matches possible is a buttery Chardonnay with Lobster tail. Here the Chard was not overtly buttered or oaked. It was dense but with nice stony and citrus notes. Really a great Chardonnay from California for the price that steps outside the popular norm.

Merryvale Sauvignon Blanc $15.99 with Sicilian flatbread.
Why?  With Asiago cheese, olives and tomatoes we wanted to pour a white that was lively and acidic as well as crisp and clean to let all those flavors shine through. From the response of the crowd we nailed it.

Merryvale Merlot $23.99 with Chicken Diablo over penne pasta
Why? Here matching spice with tannins was the idea hoping they would meet each other half way and play off each other. The Merlot was bold and smooth. Some said it was the pairing of the night a few thought we missed but hey that’s ok.

Merryvale Cabernet Sauvignon $24.99 with Prime Rib
This I jokingly called the “Fred Flintstone” course because of the huge portion of beef. This was a no brainer. We took a gorgeous, classic California Cab and paired with one of the best cuts of meat out there. There were lots of smiles and to go boxes.

Cheers!

Danny

by Jay Erisman, EQ Wine and Spirits Manager

It’s not very often that a classic comes along, particularly in the liqueur category. Most of the truly classic liqueurs have been around a long time, came from Europe, and often as not were created by monks–see Chartreuse, Bénédictine, Frangelico, and others. And sadly, too many new entrants in aisle 9B are poseurs, with some or another frou-frou ingredient backed with frenzied marketing. But every once in a while, an artisan with some vision and passion comes along that you just know will still be here in a century or two. The latest, and greatest, of these is Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur. Between its understated Asian lantern-style bottle, harmony of ingredients, and its effortless mixability, Canton is a future liqueur hall of famer.

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by Jay Erisman, EQ Wine and Spirits Manager

Considering the wealth of American microdistilleries we carry at The Party Source, I suppose I should not have been surprised when a couple of amazing little bottles showed up on our doorstep from Bowling Green, Kentucky. But I was surprised–probably you heard my jaw when it hit the floor–not only to find an artisan distiller in Kentucky, but the first commercial red abisnthe in America. G0 Kentucky!

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