Monday, October 28, 2019

Dinner and Wine - Winter Holidays


RESERVATIONS ARE CLOSED.

PLEASE REMEMBER TO BRING YOUR WINE GLASSES. 

Wednesday, November 13, 2019 at 7:00 PM

Evergreen Community Park, 3430 Evergreen Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15237
 Cost for members or guests:

$35

Please reply before Friday, November 8, 2019 to:


Or you may reply to:

 412-979-6565 or 
412-979-9594

Mail your check, payable to AWS to:

Robert Dering
38 Perry Lane

Pittsburgh PA  15229

Thursday, October 24, 2019

WINTER HOLIDAYS - DINNER AND WINE PAIRINGS




As AWS members, we know that wine is appropriate all year long, but it is especially appealing during the cold weather holidays. However, we don't always know which wine to enjoy. Our tasting dinner is geared toward choosing the best winter holiday wines, and John Eld is going to help us with those decisions Join us for our Holiday Dinner pairings as we provide several courses with appropriate wines.

Reservations are limited to 25 attendees.

PLEASE REMEMBER TO BRING YOUR WINE GLASSES. 

Wednesday, November 13, 2019 at 7:00 PM

Evergreen Community Park, 3430 Evergreen Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15237

 Cost for members or guests:

$35

Please reply before Friday, November 8, 2019 to:



Or you may reply to:

 412-979-6565 or 
412-979-9594

Mail your check, payable to AWS to:

Robert Dering
38 Perry Lane

Pittsburgh PA  15229


Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Are you ready?


Relief from Holiday Stress

‘Tis the season, so, our November tasting is geared toward helping you with your Holiday planning. For an American Wine Society member, getting ready for “Sparkle Season” means more than just putting together gift lists for loved ones and family, it also means stocking up on the wines that you’ll be taking along to holiday parties, family events, and festive occasions. Among other things, that means the rules of wine buying are rewritten: We're not just buying for ourselves, which is difficult enough, but we're buying for friends and family.
Somehow, during this holiday chaos, we're supposed to be able to choose something fantastic. With that in mind, here are some wines for the winter holidays.







Thanksgiving Dinner: Pinot Noir
Thanksgiving calls for a special red wine that will pair well with turkey and the traditional side dishes of the season, including cranberry sauce. A great option would be Pinot Noir, especially one from Oregon or Sonoma. While there are plenty of great Pinot Noir options from France, this is an American holiday! So, bring a real crowd-pleaser that everyone can enjoy. There’s always time to enjoy a glass of Beaujolais Nouveau over the next few days when you and your family are enjoying Turkey Day leftovers.

Friendsgiving Dinner: Shiraz
Unlike Thanksgiving, which is more of a formal affair, Friendsgiving is a low-key event. You want an understated wine that’s nice enough to share with friends, but not too fancy. So why not bring along a bottle of Shiraz from Australia? Look for bottles from Barossa Valley, one of the most renowned winemaking regions of Australia when it comes to Shiraz.

Holiday party with the family: Barbera
If you’re like most people, you’ll be traveling during the holidays in order to get together with relatives, close family, and friends. And you’ll want to have a go-to bottle of wine for the occasion. This is a wine that should pair well with any of the big holiday feasts, such as Thanksgiving or Christmas, and offer enough of a compromise so that it appeals to as many people in your family as possible. With that in mind, the perfect choice for a holiday party with the family is an affordable, versatile Barbera. For good reason, Barbera has been called “the ultimate party wine.” It offers the right mix of fruit and spice notes to pair well with traditional holiday meals.

Holiday party with co-workers: Etna Rosso
Sicily’s Etna Rosso has been experiencing a real surge in popularity, so one way of showing your co-workers that AWS members are completely on-trend is by bringing a bottle of Etna Rosso to your next corporate office party. Etna Rosso is very similar to Pinot Noir, in that it has flavors and aromas of ripe red fruit. And the very drinkable Etna Rosso has a bright and refreshing finish, which makes it suitable for any festive occasion. Best of all, Etna Rosso comes with a very compelling backstory that you can share with co-workers: the vineyards used to produce Etna Rosso are aligned along the sides of an active volcano in northeastern Sicily!

Holiday dessert: Port
Sweet dessert wines may be an acquired taste for many, but one classic that pairs extremely well with everything from blue cheese to chocolate is Port from (where else?) Portugal. If you’re looking for a more complex flavor, look for bottles marked LBV (for Late Bottled Vintage).

Holiday gift idea: Cabernet Sauvignon
When it comes to giving gifts around the holidays, it’s always best to go for the classics. You can’t go wrong with a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Even casual wine lovers will appreciate the extra care that goes into selecting a wine from California’s most famous wine region.

Holiday gift idea: Moscato
Moscato is one wine varietal that is trending bigly right now, as sweet wines are experiencing a surge in popularity. So why not opt for the very best Moscato wines in the world? Those are the ones produced in Italy’s exclusive Asti wine region. In comparison with the typical under $10 Moscato wines available for sale in “beverage wine” section of the State Store, a Moscato D’Asti wine is richer and nuanced, but still sweet, fresh and low in alcohol.

Feast of the Seven Fishes: Chardonnay
During the holidays, red wines tend to outsell white wines, and for good reason: many of the traditional holiday meals pair best with a bottle of red. But there is one festive occasion when it is possible to bring along a bottle of white, and that’s the Feast of the Seven Fishes. To accompany all the seafood dishes, you’ll want to choose a versatile white such as Chardonnay, which is a proven crowd-pleaser.

The Festivus Dinner: Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot 
Everyone is invited to Festivus dinner! The modest meal traditionally consists of sliced meatloaf on a bed of lettuce, with a dish of peas on the side. Our favorite choice would either be a medium-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon, or Merlot with a bit of spiciness to it. Meatloaf tends to be a little dry and sometimes bland, so these two wines will add a bit of flavor and depth. Remember: Don’t eat anything that ever wore feathers!

Christmas Dinner: Valpolicella
Choosing a great Christmas wine is different than choosing a great Thanksgiving wine. The weather is colder, the meals are getting heavier, and people naturally gravitate to big red wines. One option is Valpolicella, which stands up well to most holiday meals, thanks to its structure. But it won’t overpower any of the dishes that Grandma has spread out on the table. The Valpolicella DOC wines have notes of plums, cherries, dark chocolate, black fruit, and spices.

Kwanzaa: Rosé 
During Kwanzaa dinners, many eat soul food from the American south, or African dishes. If you’re enjoying soul food, consider a sparkling rose wine, Gewurztraminer, or something with a little acidity to cut through the gravy. For spicy African foods, try a sweet wine to balance out the savory flavors in the meal. Whatever you do, stay away from high tannin reds if your Kwanzaa meal will include greens. You don’t want to match bitter with bitter, it just never works

New Year’s Eve: Champagne
Ok, this one is a no-brainer. You simply can’t go wrong with a bottle of Champagne for New Year’s. But just keep in mind that, if you are planning on enjoying a sparkling wine throughout a long holiday meal, then you might also want to consider Cava (from Spain) or Prosecco (from Italy). You can then save the champagne for a celebratory toast at midnight.

Of course, these are just suggested wines. With any of them, there are plenty of substitutes. For example, you could easily swap out a bottle of Chardonnay for a bottle of Viognier, or a bottle of Barbera for a Rhône GSM (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre) blend. In many ways, that’s what makes wine so interesting. As soon as you think you know the “perfect wine” for a particular occasion, along comes a wine from a completely different part of the world that tastes even better.

So, as you start to put together your gift lists for the holiday season, take some time to consider which wines it might be worth stocking up on in advance. You won’t have to worry about picking out a great wine at the last minute, and you might just impress your family members (or significant other) with your knowledge of wine.


Thursday, October 10, 2019

Here is the IN-CIDER Information!





What a fantastic tasting we had last evening! Even though there was a bit of a scramble with the location, our presenters, Bill and Michelle Larkin, did a wonderful job! I think we made some “converts” to cider! They presented six different and delightful ciders and one mead (not released yet) for our enjoyment. They were all unique and delicious!


Visit them at one of their many retail outlets. You will NOT be disappointed.

A special thanks to John Hoffman and Kevin Dering for providing some great accompaniments to the ciders. We enjoyed summer rolls with a hoisin peanut dipping sauce, salt sticks and prosciutto, and some orzo with pesto. Each one was a different taste sensation with the various ciders.



  • Orange Chardonnay Pyment – Orange Blossom Honey fermented with NY Chardonnay grapes
  • Picket Bone Dry Hard Apple Cider – Blend of available apples
  • Bootlegger Bourbon Oak – Oaked with French Oak in stainless steel
  • Baldwin Apple Cider – 100% Heirloom Baldwin Apples
  • Broken Hearts are for Apples – 100% Stayman Winesap Apples*
  • Grant’s Flying Pumpkin Hard Apple Cider – Pumpkin Spices with a blend of available apples
  • Grierson’s Ginger Apple Cider – Fresh pressed ginger with a blend of available apples

  • *People’s Choice (The name is a Frank Zappa reference)



Arsenal Cider House and Wine Cellar is a U.S. Civil War thematic winery specializing in small batch, hand crafted hard apple cider, "cider style" fruit/grape wines, & mead. Located just a few steps from the historic Allegheny Arsenal, our name sake. We provide high quality products, in a friendly nostalgic atmosphere.

Born out of obsession, Arsenal Cider House was conceived in 2008 and with the support of our awesome neighbors & community groups, Arsenal opened its doors in June of 2010 to a supportive and enthusiastic base of kick-ass customers. (You know who you are!)

Being the first cidery in Western Pennsylvania and the first to sell wine in "beer kegs" and growlers in the State, Arsenal Cider has been an early pioneering influence in the craft hard cider industry. Pioneering products such as Hop Cider IPC, Greirson's Ginger Hard Apple Cider, & Picket Bone Dry Hard Cider have made Arsenal an early industry leader.

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

LOCATION CHANGE



The October 9 AWS tasting HAS BEEN MOVED to:


ROSS TOWNSHIP COMMUNITY CENTER
Ross Township Municipal Complex;
1000 Ross Municipal Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15237



The facility can be accessed from the lower end of the Big Lots plaza on the southbound side of McKnight Road.

Friday, October 4, 2019

Registration Reminder



Send your RSVP!


What is Hard Cider?

Hard cider is an alcoholic drink made by fermenting the juice of fruit, usually apples. The addition of "hard" in its name is used to distinguish this drink from its non-alcoholic counterpart, apple cider, which is made by pressing apples to produce juice.


Is Hard Cider Beer?

Hard cider is not considered beer. The only quality the two drinks have in common is that they’re both fermented. Beer is defined as a fermented alcoholic beverage that's brewed from malt and flavored with hops. Cider, on the other hand, is defined as an alcoholic drink made from fermented fruit juice, typically from apples. The fact that cider contains no malt or hops makes these two beverages unique.

How Much Alcohol is in Hard Cider?

On average, most hard ciders are 4.5% - 7% alcohol by volume (ABV), while some ciders have an ABV as high as 10 or 12%. Drier ciders usually have a higher ABV because the yeast consumes most of the cider's natural sugars.

Different Types of Hard Cider

Dry Cider - Dry ciders have less than 0.5% residual sugar and are often more acidic than the other types. Because the yeast consumes most of the cider's natural sugars, this less-sweet drink also contains a higher alcohol content than other ciders. Most dry ciders are aged in oak barrels to complement their mineral qualities.

Off-Dry Cider - An off-dry cider has slightly more body than its dry counterpart and typically contains 1-2% residual sugar. These ciders tend to be smoother and have a richer flavor.

Semi-Dry and Semi-Sweet Cider - Semi-dry ciders contain above 2% residual sugar, while semi-sweet ciders can carry as much as 4%. These two cider types are similar in taste and have heartier bodies and more pronounced apple flavors.

Ciders are also differentiated by the fruit used in their recipes. There’s no limit to what fruits you can use to make hard cider. Apples and pears are the most popular types of cider, but you can use anything from plums and peaches to strawberries and pineapples.

OUR DAILY RATIONS




PLEASE REMEMBER TO BRING YOUR WINE GLASSES. 

Wednesday, October 9, 2019
7:00

Evergreen Community Park, 3430 Evergreen Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15237
 Thanks to the generous donation of the ciders for our tasting, the cost for members or guests is only

$20

Please reply before Monday October 7, 2019 to:



Or you may reply to:

 412-979-6565 or 
412-979-9594

Mail your check, payable to AWS to:

Robert Dering
38 Perry Lane

Pittsburgh PA  15229