Happy New Year!

Welcome to Cork’s New Years newsletter. I hope everybody had a great Christmas holiday. As always it was crazy here at Cork’s, and we appreciate all of you coming in for your holiday needs. So, as we approach the end of this year…and decade…I’m still losing sleep as to what we’re calling this decade. The ones that seem to be gaining steam as are “the 2000’s”…and the “Oh’s”…I was kinda hoping for the “Aughts” or “Naughts” and even better the “Naughties”…whatever we decide on it sure doesn’t flow like the 70’s…80’s…and the 90’s. And it sure flew by pretty quick…seems like just a few years ago we were worried about the Millennium and all the computers crashing.

OK…enough rambling and reminiscing. Let’s talk about what’s going on here at Cork’s. Hmmmm…not a whole heck of a lot going on. We don’t have any beer or wine tastings this week because of the New Years holiday, though I’m sure we’ll crack a bottle or 2 of Champagne and Sparking wine for you to sample at some point. We do have all your favorite Champagnes, Cavas, Prosecco, and Sparkling Wines on a big table in the front of the store as you come in. We also have a couple of new and interesting sparklers for you to check out this year. The “Winter Classic” Sparkling Wine is in honor of the Bruins vs. Flyers game on New Year’s Day at Fenway Park. The commemorative bottle has a “Green Monster” label and is in very limited supply, so hurry in if you want this one. Bitch Bubbly is 100% Australian Grenache and like the Bitch wine (which is finally back in stock as well), has that bright pink “Bitch” on the label. It has a beer bottle cap and I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was.

We are looking to start up our “Customer” wine tastings in January and February, so anybody who was waiting to get behind the bar and pour their favorite wines, give me a shout and we will set up the tasting. Our next beer tasting will be Thursday January 14, 2010 with our friends from Wachusett Brewing. And don’t forget to save the date on our biggest beer tasting of the year, Superbrew V which is Saturday, January 30th from 2:30 to 5 PM. I will be making the lineup in the next few weeks and let’s hope the Pats make a run at the Super Bowl so it will be that much more fun.

We will be open from 9 am to 8 pmon New Years Eve for all your last minute Bubbly and party needs. We will also be open Friday, New Years Day from 12 to 6 PM for those of you who need to chase the hair of the dog or load up for the “Winter Classic”. We will be going to our winter hours starting next week. Monday through Saturday 10 AM to 9 PM…and Sunday Noon to 5 PM. I hope everyone drinks responsibly, and from all of us here at Cork’s… Happy New Year!!

Robert

Happy Holidays Newsletter with lots of tastings this week!

Welcome to Cork’s Christmas newsletter. I won’t have a chance to do a newsletter next week as it will just be too crazy here at Cork’s. We have a ton of tastings lined up for this busy weekend so be sure to stop by in between your X-Mas shopping and warm up with a lil wine or beer tasting. We will be open up at 9 AM through Christmas for your shopping convenience. Christmas Eve we will be open from 9 to 6 PM, and of course closed Christmas Day.

OK let’s talk a bit about the tastings. Because we have so many and I don’t want the newsletter to be never-ending I will just list the items being tasted and perhaps highlight a few along the way. We start tonight (Thursday) from 4:30 to 7:30 with our favorite Greek friend Yanni from Opa-Opa Brewing Co. out of Southampton, MA. He will have the Opa-Opa Extra Pale Ale, Pale Ale, Red Rock Amber, Light Lager, IPA, and Double IPA for you to taste. These brews are a combination of 6-packs, 12-packs, and 64 oz. growlers and will all be 10 % off the night of the tasting. Yanni also says if you buy a case of Opa-Opa he will bust out his keyboard and belt out a Christmas carol for you!

Friday night from 4 to 7 PM we have Jim from Monsieur Touton here for his 1st Friday night wine tasting. He will start with Willm Cremant D’Alsace Blanc de Noirs, a delicious inexpensive French sparkling wine. We stay in Alsace for the perfect food wine, Willm Gewurztraminer. Off to Italy for Monticello Barbera D’Alba and Rocca Bella Negroamaro. These are great value wines at 2 for $16, and 2 for $14 respectively. Back to France for Val de la Pierre Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and we finish in Argentina for Los Ailos Syrah Malbec blend.

We have a bonus Belgian Beer Tasting with another Jim lined up for Friday from 5 to 7 PM. He does this this tasting every Holiday season and really knows his stuff. He will start with the Saison Dupont Belgian Farmhouse Ale. Scaldis Belgian Ale and Scaldis Noel Belgian Special Ale will be next. We’re still trying to track down the last beer called Avec Les Bons Voeux for the tasting. But if we can’t, I’m sure Jim will find another Belgian treat for you to sample.

We have a special Saturday Christmas tasting with Tommy Bolini from 2 to 5 PM. He will be dressed up as Santa and will be presenting some great Holiday wines. He will kick things off with Chandon Brut Classic Sparkling Wine. Next up is Dan Akroyd Discovery Series Chardonnay. I’m sure after a couple glasses of wine, Tommy will be looking for Jane Curtain to have a spirited “Point-Counter Point” debate with. Next up is a delicious, value priced Tempranillo-Shiraz blend from the Penascal Estate in Spain, followed by Wild Horse Merlot, one of my favorite wineries in Paso Robles. He will finish the Holiday tasting with the yummy Faretti Biscotti Famosi Liqueur. This comes in a gift set with 2 glasses and is a must for your Holidays!

We still have a bunch of last minute gift sets, wine baskets, and nip baskets that make great last minute gift ideas. You can always check the website (corksfinewine.com)…check for updates on Facebook and Twitter…or e-mail us at corks-wineguy@verizon.com with any questions or special orders for the Holidays. From all of us at Cork’s have a safe and Merry Christmas!!...and Happy Hanukah to our Jewish friends…and Happy Kwanza...Boxing day and all those other crazy Holidays…Go Celts..on a roll!!...good luck B’s in the Winter Classic!!...Pats...hmmm…I don’t know about this year…and the Sox…not thrilled with another tumultuous off season…starting to feel like we’re rooting for laundry not players…OK...sports takes out of the way… Happy Holidays!!

Robert

Get your gift baskets early!

Welcome to Cork’s weekly newsletter. Well it looks like winter has finally arrived as I look out the window at the plows pushing all that yucky slush around. Let’s see what else is going on besides the Patriots floundering…Tigers newest bimbo…and the Sox lackluster hot stove season…at least the Bruins are doing decent and the Celtics once again look like a championship team. Sorry for the sports references so early but I haven’t had a chance to ramble about them in a few weeks, and actually had customer requests for them.

Enough of that, let’s talk about wine. There is a new reality series (on PBS of all places) that is all about winemaking. It pits 12 contestants in (6) 1 hour episodes, with the winner actually producing their very own wine. The show was obviously taped awhile back because we have 1 case of the winning wine here at Cork’s! There was very limited production and I believe the whole state of Mass. got only 20 cases to sell. The 1st episode starts this Thursday at 8 PM on WGBH in Boston, and other times throughout the week as well. It sounds pretty cool and I’m going to set my DVR to record it. One interesting side note…the winner of the contest is on the bottle…but the bottle says “remove label only after the finale”. We will put some info on the show up on our website. Oh and if the show bites we’ll peel off the label…see who the heck won...and crack open a bottle and try it out!

We have 1 of the Bud Boys here to sample you on (appropriately enough) winter beers this Thursday from 4:30 to 7:30. He will have the new winter brew from the crazy people of Magic Hat called Howl. Next up is the always popular Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, followed by Redhook Winter Ale. Last but not least, one of my favorite winter beers, Winter Bourbon Cask Ale. So even though we’re like 11 days early, put your mittens and snowshoes on and come try some delicious winter beers.

Friday night from 4 to 7, we welcome a newcomer from Commonwealth Wines. Although Sean is far from a rookie, this will be his 1st time pouring here at Cork’s. Unlike his predecessor (Kevin, the Giants fan) he won’t shout you down across the store and say “hey you…in the blue coat...do you want a drink?” But he is an experienced fine wine salesman and has great wines to share with you. He will start you with a brand new Prosecco called La Marca. Las Rocas Garnacha will be next and I will quote the famous wine critic Robert Parker on this one. He says, “This may be the greatest discovery of my 25 year career!”…very high praise indeed...and a steal at only $12.99. Dancing Bull Zinfandel will be next followed by Frei Bros. Chardonnay and Cabernet, the last 3 all being excellent wines to pair with your holiday meals and parties.

Just a few quick reminders for those holiday gifts that you still need to get. We have a ton of nip mugs and baskets for only 10 bucks. These make great office presents, or for that $10 grab/secret Santa gift. We also have a bunch of wine gift baskets starting at $25. Lastly… they are going quick…but we still have quite a few “Liquor Gift Sets”. They all come in decorative boxes for wrapping and have cool “free stuff” inside. I hope you all have a great weekend and we will see you all soon.

Robert

Welcome to Cork’s weekly newsletter. I hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving holiday. As always it was crazy here at Cork’s the days before, but I hope everyone was able to find their favorite wine, beer, or spirit to enjoy with your family. Getting a late start on the newsletter this week so let’s make it brief and get right to the tastings going on this week.

Our friend Jean-Marc or Jean-Claude or some Canadian sounding name from Newport storm is here tonight (Thursday) from 4:30 to 7:30 to sample you on some great local brews out of RI. He will have their flagship Hurricane Amber Ale, RI Blueberry, Winter Ale. Cyclone Series “Luke”, and their yearly 750 ml “09 in the crazy cobalt blue bottle. So if you’re ooot and abooot please stop by, try some great beers (at 10 % off) and help support the local guys!

It’s been awhile since we’ve done a Mionetto tasting here at Cork’s. It seemed like they were here every other month, but alas the visas of the Italian boys expired (sorry Kat) and they got booted back to Italy. The new rep is an American girl named Pam (go figure), and she will be here this Friday from 4 to 7 PM to try some brand new wines from Mionetto and a few old favorites as well. She will start with the classic Mionetto Brut Prosecco. Next up is a brand new Organic Prosecco that is absolutely delicious and would be great for the holidays. Staying with the organic theme we have Collavini Organic Pinot Grigio. Not only is it the 1st PG I’ve seen that’s organic, it has a picture of a dachshund on it…sorry Ted, but you’re not coming in for another tasting. Next up are 2 delicious reds from Pertinace called Dolcetto D’Allba and Barbera D’Alba. Mionetto Moscato Dolce will put a sweet end to our tasting, and as always all the wines you sample will be 10 % the night of the tasting.

Robert

Happy Thanksgiving!

Welcome to Cork’s weekly newsletter. This will probably be our last newsletter before Thanksgiving. Since we’ll be closed next Thursday and Wednesday is a crazy busy day, I will not have a chance to type 1 out most likely. You can always check the website for current news at CorksFineWine.com. Or you can get up to the minute info and updates at Facebook.com or twitter.com. I think we still have myspace and Dig or Doug ….or whatever that is but who has time for all that tweeting…twerping…digging and all that nonsense.

So let’s highlight a few things and talk about the upcoming tastings to get you ready for your Turkey Day. We will be open a few extra hours on Wednesday (Thanksgiving Eve). We will open at 9 AM and close at 10 PM for your shopping convenience. We will be closed on Thursday Thanksgiving Day, and we will close 1 hour early at 9 PM on the Friday after turkey day. We have a bunch of gift baskets made up from $9.99 nip mugs… to $40 (3-bottle) wine gift baskets. We will be making more and have pictures of them on the website soon.

Let’s talk about tastings we have going on in the next couple weeks. We will have our friend Miguel here to sample you on the crazy brews from Flying Dog this Thursday from 4:30 to 7:30. Speaking of dogs…a quick apology to the 1 brave customer that brought a dog into Ted’s house for the Mutt Lynch tasting...sorry for Ted’s behavior and be sure to send me the vet bill! Anyway, back to Flying Dogs and beer. He will have Doggie Style Pale Ale…Double Dog Double Pale Ale…Old Scratch Amber Lager…In Heat Wheat Hefeweizen…and Snake Dog IPA. He might have a surprise Porter in the mix as well if they come in on time. So DON’T bring your pooch…but DO bring a friend and check out these yummy beers out of Colorado.

Friday night, we have Mark from Boston Wine here to taste you on his fine wines from 4 to 7 PM. He will start with a delicious sparkling wine from of all places New Mexico called Gruet Brut. Next up are Cartlidge & Brown Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, both excellent choices for Turkey Day. We go to Spain next for Monte Oton Garnacha. This great value wine (2 for $14) is 1 that I brought in during the “Summer of Sangria” as a cheap Spanish wine for Sangria recipes. Off to Italy for Vitiano Falesco which is a Cabenet/Melot/Sangiovese blend. He will end with the delicious Allegrini Palazzo Della Torre. This is a blend of Corvina and Rondinella and is a highly rated/award winning wine.

We have a bonus tasting on Wednesday the day before Thanksgiving from 3 to 6 PM. Our Friend Mark will be here with his very own Pinot Noir called….are you ready for this… “PINOT”. It is a Central Coast Pinot Noir and is the perfect red wine for the bird. He will also be pouring the Urban Riesling which also pairs perfectly for Turkey Day. At some point we will be getting our Beaujolais Nouveau in and I’m sure we’ll crack open a bottle of that too. I hope everybody has a great Thanksgiving Holiday and we’ll see you all soon.

Robert

Ted the Wine Dog's Tasting along with a couple of beers!

Welcome to Cork’s weekly newsletter. I hope those of you who are off today (Wednesday) are enjoying their mid-week holiday. On this Veteran’s Day I’d like to take a moment to thank all our troops, past and present, who have served and helped make this country free and great. As a small token of our appreciation we’d like to extend a 10% discount to anybody in the military on their purchases everyday here at Cork’s. Just show the cashier your I.D. at the end of the sale, and thanks again for your service!

Our good friend Mr. “Bud”erworth will be here this Thursday night from 4:30 to 7:30 to sample you on the St. Peter’s lineup from the United Kingdom. These beers are the ones that come in those small, medicine shaped bottles. He will have the Organic English Ale, Golden Ale, India Pale Ale, Cream Stout, and Old-Style Porter for you to sample. These delicious brews are imported right next door in Ashland, MA and like all our Thursday night beer tastings will be 10% off the night of the sampling.

As promised Ted the Winedog will be here Friday night from 4 to 7 PM “pawing” his favorite wines from Mutt Lynch. He will have the Fou Fou LeBlanc Sauvignon Blanc, Unleashed Chardonnay (un-oaked), Merlot Over and Play Dead, Portrait of a Mutt Zinfandel, and Chateau d’Og Cabernet. While admittedly having cool, cutesy labels, these wines are true to the varietal and are really good. They are only $9.99 each and will be 10% off the night of Ted’s tasting. Ted will have special treats for all his 4 legged friends, and a portion of all the proceeds on Mutt Lynch wines goes to help support the local animal shelters…as the back label says…Apply dog logic to life: eat well…be loved…get petted…sleep a lot…and dream of a leash-free world.

As if that weren’t enough, we have yet another beer tasting this Saturday. My cousin Vinnie or 1 of his dudes will be here Saturday from 4 to 6:30 for a bonus beer tasting…yea I’ve given up on him sending us supermodels or any “Bud Girl” for that matter and resigned ourselves to Bud Dudes…oh well…He will be featuring the “Best of Belgium” 18 pk bottle package. This consists of 6 pks of Leffe Blond, Hoegaarden, and Stella Artois. I’m sure he’ll have glasses or t-shirts to give away with a purchase of this combo pack. He doesn’t know it yet but we’re going to have him sample the new Bud Light Golden Wheat as well. So stop by and stock up for the annual Pats vs. Colts battle Sunday night. I hope you all have a great weekend.

Robert

Thanks for attending the 5th Annual Grand Fall Wine Tasting

Welcome to Cork’s weekly newsletter. I’d like to thank all of you who attended our 5th Annual Grand Fall Wine Tasting. Once again it amazes me how many of you folks show up for these things. I think the selection of wines was just right and we did especially well with the 2 for’s and lower price point wines. I hope you all enjoyed the Frazolas from our friends at Pizza Time in Foxboro. I think it was a nice change of pace from the regular tastings pizza that we always have. I encourage you to stop by and visit Rene and Saki at Pizza Time, which is on Main St. in Foxboro in the Waxy O’Connor’s plaza. The next big tasting won’t be till after the holidays, the week before the Super Bowl. We’ll put Josh to work on the Super Brew V lineup and see if he can top the last tasting.

Speaking of beer tastings, we have another rookie making his debut tonight (Thursday) from 4:30 to 7:30 here at Cork’s. He’s so new we don’t even know his name. But what we do know is he represents the outstanding beers from out in western Mass called Berkshire Brewing Co. He will be sampling you on their entire lineup that we carry including Traditional Ale...Steel Rail Extra Pale Ale...Gold Spike Ale...River Ale...Lost Sailor IPA...Shabadoo Black & Tan...Drayman's Porter...Coffeehouse Porter...Oktoberfest Lager and Cabin Fever Ale...these beers are in the 22 oz large format and 64 oz growlers only. Unlike that watered down beer from the Rockies (you know… the one that's like making love on a canoe) with the blue label...these beers are brewed cold...shipped cold...and we only sell them cold. So stop by and help support the local guys and pick up some great beers at 10 % off tonight only.

We will take a week off from the wine tastings on Friday night. But we have a full lineup booked right though the end of the year for you. I know I’m going to regret this, but my dog Ted will be here to help “paw” the dog themed wines from Mutt Lynch next week. We encourage you to bring your pooch… try these great value wines…and help support the local animal rescue organizations. We have more info on this tasting on the website (corsfinewine.com) and will talk more about it next week.

Just a few other things going on here at Cork’s to wrap up.. We have a ton of Holiday Gift Sets arriving daily here at Cork’s. We will take some pictures of them and throw them on the website. Hopefully by the weekend we will build a big table up front with them as well. The good thing about these gift sets is that they usually all come in decorative boxes… and have free “stuff” attached to them… and they are the same price as the regular package...no up-charge! We will also be making some Holiday Gift Baskets and displaying them in the front and on the website as well.

How about those Celtics off to a 6-0 start…the Pat’s back home Sunday against the Dolphins…and the Bruins struggling around the .500 mark…let’s see did I leave any sport out?...nope I think I got them all…Have a great weekend.

Robert

Cork's 5th Annual Grand Fall Wine Tasting

Welcome to Cork’s 5th Annual Grand Fall Wine Tasting newsletter. The big event is just a day away, this Thursday October 29th from 5 to 7:30 PM. The list is put to bed and should be up on the website (corksfinewine.com) if you want to check it out. We topped out at 101 items for you to sample…94 wines and 7 liqueurs. A good chunk of the wines are new wines that I’ve sampled, and brought in for the show and holiday season. Most are value priced in the 10 to 15 dollar range, but we have value wines starting at $7 all the way up to $49 Champagnes!

I’m not going to go into to much detail on how the tastings work as most of you are regulars to these big events. For the newbies, we will post some tips on the website for you to review or at least chuckle over. I will again mention that like 2 years ago this event is a couple of days before Halloween, so costumes are strongly encouraged. I know I have my costume picked out and everyone who dresses up will receive a free gift! If that weren’t enough we will have a grand prize of a 1.5 L Peter Brum Riesling (perfect wine for Thanksgiving dinner) to who ever has the best costume. The judging will be totally arbitrary and up to me…so let’s be honest… guys…you’re out...sorry Kham - the fireman’s hat will not get it done this year!

We do have a new “Pizza Time” (Shops at Chestnut Green) supplying the munchies for us this year. We met Rene and Saki at the Oktoberfest, and they are very nice and their food is outstanding. We will have a mix of Frazolas (a stromboli/calzone kinda thingie) and pizza to snack on. As always the “Pizza Cam” will be on, so be sure to smile and wave as you push Tommy Bolini out of the way for a slice. We’re also hoping to have Edible Arrangements, who we met there as well be here with a table.

We don’t have a beer tasting this week as we bump Josh for the big wine event. But I think we have every Thursday, and even a few Saturdays lined up right through the end of the year. Be sure to check out the upcoming events portion of the website for the lineup. We will also be venturing into the gift basket biz for the holiday season. There will be some here at the store in the $10 range up to $50. You can choose the pre-made ones, or gives us a few days to customize one just for you.

OK…I need to get the store ready for the big party tomorrow, so just a couple more things. Woohoo...go Celtics...way to start off the run for banner #18 with a win at Lebron’s house! Oh yes and let’s not forget...GO PHILLIES!! I hope to see you all at the tasting tomorrow.

Robert

Grand Fall Wine Tasting Next Thursday October 29

Welcome to Cork’s weekly newsletter. We are just about 1 week away from our 5th Annual Grand Fall Wine Tasting. The date is next Thursday, October 29th from 5 to 7:30 PM. I still have a couple of suppliers to finish off but it looks like we will top out at 15 tables and 100 items for you to taste!!...93 wines…and 7 liqueurs. Over half of these are new in the last few months and we have a price point for everybody - from 2 for $14 value wines to $40 Cabs and Champagnes. I will have a listing of all the items to be tasted on the website (corksfinewine.com) by the weekend.

I’m thinking next week’s newsletter will be a brief reminder on the tasting, so I will talk more about the event in this week’s newsletter. The tasting is just a couple days before Halloween so we encourage all of you to wear a costume. In fact, like we did a couple of years ago, we will offer a free gift to everybody who dresses up for the event. But don’t get to excited; it’s usually just a crappy bottle of wine off our closeout rack! One thing to get excited about is our new Pizza supplier. Ironically the new place is called Pizza Time (Foxboro) and the 1 we used to use is called Pizza Tyme (Norton)…OK, sorry Tommy Bolini, there really is no “irony” there, just a coincidence. Tommy is obsessed with the rampant incorrect usage of irony in the sports world...don’t even get him started on “chomping/champing at the bit” Anyway, we met these wonderful people at the Oktoberfest a few weeks ago and their food is outstanding. They have some calzone/stromboli like thingies called Frazola that are to die for. So we will give them a whirl at the tasting and see how many Mel can stuff in his piehole!

Let’s not forget about the beer side of things as we still have quite a bit of Oktoberfest and Autumn beers still hanging around. That means winter beers and holiday brews are right around the corner as well. We have a special guest appearance by our friend Bill Tredo to taste us on some delicious brews from England tonight from 4:30 to 7:30 PM. He has 3 beers from Wychwood…Scarecrow Golden Pale Ale, Fiddler’s Elbow, and Hobgoblin Dark English Ale. Next up is an Organic English Ale from Duchy Originals. And lastly we have Monty Python’s Holy Grail Ale. I can’t remember how the beer tastes, but that is still one of my favorite movies of all time. Ironically…OK...coincidently, these beers will be perfect for the Patriots rout of the Buccaneers at Wembley Stadium in London this Sunday!

Robert

Guinness and Gary Vee

Welcome to Cork’s weekly newsletter. How about those Celtics off to a blistering 3-1 pre-season start! I’m not sure how the Red Sox, Patriots, and Bruins are doing…I think they were all off last week! Anyway…there’s lots of stuff going on here at Cork’s as you may need a drink to wash away the last week's sporting news. Let’s start with a Guinness beer tasting on Thursday…and a let’s find a few new wines to taste, wine tasting on Friday…and let’s not forget our biggest wine tasting event of the year, is only a few weeks away. Thursday October 29th from 5 to 7:30 is our 5th Annual Grand fall Wine Tasting. We are just now getting the lineup together, but it should be close to 90 wines and 15 tables!! Be sure to check the website (corksfinewine.com) for details and updates.

Tomorrow night (Thursday) at the special time of 5:30 to 7:30 PM we will be tasting the yummy brews from Guinness. We will have the Guinness Draft, Stout, 250 Anniversary Stout, Harp, and Smithwick’s for you to sample. They will have tons of Guinness pint glasses to give away, and don’t forget to take your 10 % discount on any Guinness product the night of the tasting as well.

Hmmm…what to pick for Friday night's wine tasting. I will try not to duplicate things that we will be doing at our big fall show…but I haven’t got the lineup fully set yet…screw it…let me just wander the aisles and see what jumps at me. OK…nothing jumped off the shelf… but I promise you I’ll find 3 or 4 gems to pour Friday night between 4 and 7 PM.

What did jump out at me was an appearance by 1 of my favorite wine guys/critics Gary “Vee” Vaynerchuck on the Today Show. He has a great approach to wine, and I strongly recommend his wine library TV segments and any of his books. Check this segment out to see what a crazy dude he is……I met him at the wine expo in Boston and have been a big fan of his ever since.

I hope you all have a great weekend and we will see you soon.
Robert

There's only one Oktober!!

THERE”S ONLY 1 OKTOBER!!...Whew, I held off till October 8th before saying that this year. I don’t even think they do those crazy (Dane Cook and that other guy) commercials for the MLB postseason anymore. But I must admit they get me pumped for the Redsox playoff drive that starts tonight. Let’s hope we can all stay up till 1 AM to watch them. I see a lot of naps and bloodshot eyes in my future.

Keeping with the Oktober theme, it was good to see a lot of you at the Oktoberfest tasting Tuesday night in Foxboro. Once again, it was a big success with tons of great food and our Oktoberfest beers. Josh will keep the ball rolling with an Autumn beer tasting tonight from 4:30 to 7:30. He will sampling the Thomas Hooker Octoberfest, Mendocino Autumn Ale, Ipswich Harvest Ale, and Southampton Pumpkin Ale. So stop on by before your nap and pick up a 6-pk for the game. As always we will take 10 % off any of these beers we taste tonight. One last note on the Autumn beers…we have limited supplies left, and most are done for the season, so I would suggest stocking up on your favorites before they are all gone.

I don’t have any suppliers lined up this week for a wine tasting so I think we’ll take this Friday night off. I will probably put 1 together myself for next week as we build up to our 5th Annual grand Fall Wine Tasting. Be sure to mark your calendars for this event…Thursday October 29th from 5 to 7:30. We are putting the lineup together now and there will be a bunch of new and exciting wines for you to try. We will be updating the website (corksfinewine.com) with details as the event draws closer.

I hope you all have a great weekend …and GO SOX !!!!
Robert

Join us at the Tri-Town Chamber of Commerce

I hope everybody is enjoying the great fall weather with your favorite Autumn brew, wine, or cocktail. Speaking of Autumn we will once again be participating in the Tri-Town Chamber of Commerce Oktoberfest. We will be pouring Sam Adams and Spaten Oktoberfest, Smuttynose Pumpkin, and Woodstock Inn Autumn Ale Brew at the event. It is Tuesday October 6th from 5 to 7 PM in Foxboro at The Shops of Chestnut Green. There will be 25 restaurants sampling their yummy dishes…here are just a few…Chipotle…Davio’s…Mai Pearl…Pikes Peak…Friendly’s…CBS Scene…Piccadilly Pub and many more. Tickets are only 12 bucks in advance and $15 at the door with all the proceeds going to the local food banks. Check out the website for a complete listing of the restaurants and more details of the event on our website at corksfinewine.com.

As far as tastings here at Cork’s we have our new Sam Adams rep to sample you on the brews you can find in their new Harvest Collection 12 packs. Boston Lager, Octoberfest, Irish Red, Cherry Wheat, Brown Ale, and Dunkelweizen make up this delicious Variety pack. If that weren’t enough, he will also have the newest Sam 6 PK style called Coastal Wheat as well. I haven’t met the new Sam kid yet… but I heard him, and he sounds like a pesky guy reading from a script right out of school. So be sure to break him in…ask him questions…and get him to loosen up….Or just wear earplugs…guzzle the fermented delights he presents you...nod your head...grab a 12 pk…get your 10 % discount and move on! You have officially been warned ;-}

Speaking of pesky did you see where our favorite ambassador of the Redsox Johny Pesky turned 90? …doesn’t look a day over 88 if you asked me…A word of advice, If you ever run into Johny don’t ever call him a mascot or he will verbally berate you and kick you in the shins…right sis? Now for somebody you would never call pesky (hmmmm…or would you?) we have John from Trio Wines here for Friday nights wine tasting from 4 to 7 PM. He has some interesting wines to sample you on, including the brand new Ed Hardey wines. Personally I had never heard of Ed but apparently he is a famous tattoo artist that is now marketing clothes, booze, and even dog food (oops...wrong tasting that’s our dog and wine tasting we have coming up soon...sorry Ted).

He will start with a really nice, value Pinot Grigio Called Dilupo. It comes in a 750 and a 1.5 L that in the Euro inflated PG mag market you can still get for $12.99. Bianchi Pinot Noir is a delicious Pinot from the Santa Maria Valley, and if you can keep your hands off it till then, would make a great Thanksgiving wine. Doolittle Farms Zinfandel is a big jammy Zin from the Dry Creek Valley and is a steal at $19.99. As far as the Ed Hardey wines go, we have Chardonnay, Cabernet and just in time for Summer….Sangria!!...ok fine...but Sangria is still hot, and it’s the cheapest of the bunch at 2 for $14. The labels are pretty cool, and I think we may try to get a burly biker dude here to ink up your arms as you enjoy the wines. OK…maybe we’ll just get some temporary tattoos and pretend.

Ah yes…it’s back...all 4 of the local sports teams in action!! We have the Sox limping into the playoffs…The Pats going for 2 straight against the tough Raven “D”…the Bruins about to open their quest for the Cup...and even the Celts with a healthy KG starting camp down in Newport RI !!....hmmm… who do you think has the best chance to bring a title back to Beantown?

Robert

Come see what's new for fall

Welcome to Cork’s weekly newsletter. Quite a bit going on here at Cork’s as we taste new wines for the big fall show and holiday season. We also have tons of Autumn beers still arriving and we’re replenishing all your favorite fall beers. Over the next couple of weeks we tend to run out of the more popular ones, so be sure to stop in grab your favorites before they are all gone.

Speaking of new beers, Josh is going to be sampling some brand new canned microbrews that we just got in from British Columbia, Canada. Tonight’s tasting (Thursday) is from 4:30 to 7:30 and will feature Red Racer Lager, Pale Ale, and IPA. These beers are brand new to the states and this market, and believe it or not are distributed from 1 of our small wine wholesalers. The packaging is very eye catching with a hot redhead riding a red bike, and the beers are extremely good. So we’re dressing Josh up in a red wig and throwing him on a bike for this tasting so you have to come down to see that! If that wasn’t enough, we have Woodstock Autumn Ale Brew to finish this tasting. This New Hampshire Ale has is flavored with apple and cinnamon, and tastes just like grammas apple pie. As always we will take 10% off any of the beers you taste that night.

We have the return of the Tommy Bolini show for this Friday nights wine tasting from 4 to 7 PM. He has an excellent lineup for you to sample starting with Can Feixes from Spain. This is a blended white wine with great minerality that pairs great with most seafood. From there we go to Australia for Penfolds Thomas Hyland Riesling. Cinnamon, apple and citrus flavors make this an excellent fall wine. Off to California for Parker Station Pinot Noir. I know nothing about this wine except Tommy says it’s good and the back label says “The best Pinot Noir you can afford to drink daily”….hmmm…we shall see. The last wine is C.M.S. from Hedges out of the Columbia Valley in Washington State. I had this wine about 5 years ago when I toured the winery, and it’s a delicious blend of Cabernet/Merlot/Syrah. Tommy will end the show with a yummy Macadamia Nut Liqueur from Trader Vic’s. This comes in a really cool package and is a perfect fall liqueur that you simply must try.

I hope everybody enjoys the 1st official fall weekend and we’ll see you soon.

Robert

Thanks for attending the 5th Annual Kick-Off Beer Tasting!

Thanks to all of you who attended our 5th Annual Kick-Off Beer tasting on Saturday. I hope everybody had a good time and were able to find some new beers that were to your liking. I really think it was the best lineup we’ve ever had at 1 of these events. We’ve also got the amount of tables and vendors down to a comfortable level where there is still plenty of stuff to sample, yet still enough room to maneuver around and talk to the reps or stare at the supermodels. I hope there was plenty of pizza and snacks available for everybody…and we’re still chuckling as we watch the “pizza cam” video!!...I think 1 guy had a whole pie himself…at least he bought lots of beer...right Mel? Well now that the beer tasting is over, it’s now time to set our sights on the 5th Annual Grand Fall Wine Tasting. We’ve kicked a bunch of dates around and have come up with Thursday, October 29th from 5 to 7:30 PM. Keep an eye on the website (corksfinewine.com) and we will post all the news and updates on the next big Cork’s event.

One of the original founders of Wachusett Brewery will be here tonight (Thursday) from 4:30 to 7:30 to taste you on his yummy local brews. I’m not sure exactly what Mr. Peter Quinn is going to pour, but if it’s anything like his last visit here, he will open any and all that he carries, including the ever popular Blueberry Ale, Green Monsta Ale (watch out Yankees we’re coming for the division!), and the award winning Octoberfest. We have their whole lineup including the new “Box of Brews” which is their 12 bottle mix pack, and we’ll take 10 % off tonight only on these delicious local beers so stop by and check them out.

We will take 1 more Friday night off from the wine tastings as I had a late cancellation for this week. It will give me more time to recover from… yawn…yet another wine tasting with like 800 wines and tons of food at a luxury Boston hotel…tough gig…I know. But the good news is we have the return of the Tommy Bolini show next Friday night to look forward to! So enjoy the great fall weather...week 2 of the Pats (how was that for a comeback victory?)…the Sox playoff drive...and your favorite fall beverage.

Robert

One hour to Cork's 5th Annual Kick-off Beer Tasting

Cork's 5th Annual Kick-Off Beer tasting - today 2:30 to 5 PM...15 tables,over 80 Beers to sample...pizza..snacks..and it's free!

5th Annual Kick Off Beer Tasting

Welcome to Cork’s 5th Annual Kick-Off beer tasting newsletter. The big event is just 2 days away on Saturday, September 12th from 2:30 to 5 PM. We will have 15 tables and over 80 beers for you to sample!! Josh did a great job putting this lineup together and there are a ton of new, hot beers being sampled for the 1st time ever here at Cork’s. Here is a quick rundown on the Breweries represented and we will have the complete list to look at, or download on the website (corksfinewine.com). Gritty’s…Fisherman’s…Saranac…Mendocino…Left Hand…Troegs…Wachusett…Brooklyn…Pizza Port…Pretty Things…High & Mighty…Mayflower…Woodchuck…Magic Hat…Southern Tier…Cisco…Ipswich…Long Trail…Guinness…Opa-Opa…Sierra Nevada…Bacardi Silver…Leinenkugel…and Sam Adams…sounds like a yummy lineup to me!!

For those new to the tastings, and perhaps those who need a refresher course, here are a few rules and tips to make it more fun.

-You can bring your favorite beer glass if you like…but no...we will not top off your pint glass with your “favorite” beer that you find…this is a tasting, after all, not a keg party!
-You will get a sheet at the door with a complete list of the tables, and beers you will find on them. There will be a # on the upper left side and this will be your # for the day.
-When you find a beer you like…and trust me, you’ll find plenty!...just tell the rep/supermodel and they will slap your # on that beer. We will have runners (or stumblers depending on how much beer we drink) scoop up your brew and bring it to the front and start a box for you.
-At the end of the tasting just go to the front and let the cashier know what # you are and we will have your beers ready for you.
-There will be plenty of food to snack on in between brews, including our famous Pizza Tyme pizza...just watch out for Tommy Bolini (and a few others...you know who you are!!) so you don’t get trampled when the fresh pies come out.
-Most of all...please drink responsibly and have fun!! This is a great chance to try some new beers and stock up for the start of the football season and the Pats quest for the Super Bowl which begins Monday night.

We won’t have a wine tasting this Friday as we set up the store and tables for Saturdays big beer tasting. But if you want me to crack a bottle of vino and help set up tables by all means, stop by. One last thing before we go. We have the new limited edition Absolut Boston in the 1 liter bottle now in stock. It is a mix of elderflower and black tea and has a “green monster “theme to it. While supplies last we will give a free bottle of Sauvignyoooouuuuk Blanc to anybody who purchases an Absolut Boston. I admit, this is quite possibly the worst wine I have ever tried…Youk is awesome, and the proceeds do go to some great charities…right George?!?

It should be a great weekend as the Sox look to make a run at the wild card, and the Seymoreless pats look to make a Super Bowl run of their own. I’m not a fan of the trade myself, but with Brady back and our faith in Bill, I think that we will have a great season. I hope to see you all this Saturday as we kick-off the football season!!

Robert

Labor day weekend festivities...

Welcome to Cork’s weekly newsletter. We have a bunch of stuff going on at Cork’s as we unofficially wrap up the summer and get ready for the fall season. I love this time of year with the crisp days and cool nights…and Autumn beers! We don’t have a beer tasting this week as we get ready for our 5th Annual Kick-Off Beer tasting which is next Saturday, September 12th from 2:30to 5 PM. And instead of a wine tasting we will be celebrating Jack Daniels 159th birthday with a big bash and tasting on Friday night from 5 to 7. I’m not 100 % sure what this event entails, but I’ve been told it involves Jack Daniels, Gentleman Jack, Single Barrel, and birthday cake…sounds pretty good to me!!

Let’s talk a little bit about the big beer tasting coming up next Saturday. Josh has been working hard at putting the lineup together, and if I do say so myself it looks like an awesome mix. Here is just a brief glimpse of the beers we will be tasting. Opa-Opa…Magic Hat…Pizza Port…Brooklyn Brewery…Longtrail…Leinenkugel…Pretty things…High & Mighty… Sam Adams…Gritty’s…Troegs…Mayflower…Southern Tier…Sierra Nevada… Woodchuck and a bunch of others! It looks like we’ll be at about 15 tables and 85 beers to try…not too huge where you can’t walk around and talk to the reps…but still plenty of stuff to peak your interest. We will be putting the complete lineup and more info on the website in the next few days, so be sure to check it out at corksfinewine.com.

Let’s see…we have the Pats last preseason game tonight…yawwwwn…the Sox trying to bury those pesky Rays down in St. Pete…and Tiger, Phil, VJ and the boys getting ready to tee it up next door in Norton. The weather has been just spectacular, and looks to be that way right though the weekend. So stop by and grab your favorite summer beverage…or perhaps some fresh Oktoberfest beer to enjoy this long holiday weekend. We will be open from 10 – 6 on Monday, Labor Day for those last minute beverage needs. I hope you all have a great and safe holiday, and we will see you soon.

Robert

P. S. I just saw the Jack Daniels birthday cake and it’s freakin huge!! So you folks better come and grab a slice before Tommy Bolini gets a hold of it!!

End of summer news...

We have a just a couple things going on as we wrap up summer and get ready for the fall season here at Cork’s We will be making our annual pilgrimage down to Buzzard’s Bay Brewery on Thursday, August 27th. We’ve talked about this for a few weeks now and there are details on the website. The weather is supposed to be great and this is always a lot of fun...oh yea…did I mention they have “Cornhole”? The Cork’s crew is leaving around 4:30 if anybody is interested in tagging along.

It seems like I haven’t done a Friday night wine tasting myself in forever, so I’m finding some hits of Summer 09” and putting them together for an end of season sampling. We will start with a brand new Albarino from Montecillo. This Spanish varietal goes perfect with any shellfish (yes even Bridgette’s new hermit crabs). Next up are 2 delicious Rose Wines, Chateau Virgile from France and Prado Rey from Spain. I think these are both great “Summer Blush” wines and an excellent choice when it’s just to hot to pop open your favorite red. Probably the most requested wine of the summer was Sangria (I know…I was surprised as well) both the ready to drink kind, and tons of questions about what wine to use when making Sangria. So we will chill down, and twist open La Casita Sangria for you to try. Next is a gem I found on my visit to Long Island a few weeks ago. It’s Palmer 2004 Merlot from the North Fork of LI. As I’ve stated many times, I’m not really a fan of the varietal but this drinks like a $25 Cab or dare I say even a Bordeaux. We will finish with a wine that only comes out once a year and is very limited. Bogle Phantom is a blend of Petite Sirah, Old Vine Zinfandel, and Old Vine Mourvedre. It is big… and dark… and spicy…and is the perfect wine for grilled steaks or BBQ ribs!

We won’t do any tastings next week as we get ready for our 5th Annual Kick-Off Beer tasting. The date for that is Saturday, September 12th from 2:30 to 5 PM. Josh is putting the finishing touches on the lineup and I promise more info next week on this huge event. So as the Sox make a push for the playoffs…. the Pat’s wrap up their pre-season….the summer concert season wraps up…and we get ready for the Deutsche Bank Golf Tournament… be sure to stop in Cork’s for all your end of Summer beverage needs. Have a great weekend!

Robert

Welcome to Cork's weekly newsletter

Not a whole heck of a lot going on here at Cork’s as we wrap up the summer months. One bit of news for those that were interested - we are going to push the Buzzard’s Bay Brewery road trip back a week to next Thursday, August 27th. Megan is out of town and we had some coverage issues at the store so we will re-schedule it for next week. Speaking of coverage and scheduling, we are looking for 1 or 2 cashiers going into the fall/holiday season. If anybody is interested please stop by and fill out an application.

We will take another week off from the wine tastings this week as well, as I go see the Sox in their quest to overtake the evil empire on Friday night. I’ll find some new wines to sample next week myself, and start lining up vendors going forward and leading up to our big fall tasting. Don’t forget our 5th Annual Kick-Off Beer tasting is Saturday, September 12th from 2:30 to 5 PM. Josh is working hard putting together a great lineup, and we will be posting details and updates on the website at corksfinewine.com.

I’ve been waiting like 10 months to say it…and you will be sick of me saying it soon enough I’m sure…BUT THERE IS ONLY 1 OKTOBER !!!...And both Sam Adams Oktoberfest and Shipyard Pumpkin Ale are in!!!…ahhhhhh…. all is good in the beer world. We also have a bunch of other Autumn beers in house, and a ton more to come in the next few weeks. We will be making our usual huge fall beer display in the front of the store so come check it out. We’ve also been asked back to the local Tri-Town Chamber of Commerce Oktoberfest again this year. It will be on October 6th and we will be pouring a bunch of Oktoberfest/Pumpkin beers. There are a bunch of restaurants there and all the money goes to the local food pantries. This was a blast last year and a real fun night out. I hope you all have a great weekend and we will see you soon.

Robert

August dog days of summer....

Welcome to Cork’s weekly newsletter. For a slow, dog days of summer August there sure is a lot of stuff going on here at Cork’s. From tonight’s launching of Mayflower Beer…our roadtrip to Buzzard’s Bay Brewery…the Newport Storm Luau on Saturday…the start of the Patriots pre-season tonight…Country Fest on Saturday at Gillette…and let’s not forget our huge 5th Annual Kick-Off Beer Tasting on Saturday September 12th that we’re starting to put together now.

In our ongoing efforts to go green and support the local guys, we bring you Mayflower Brewing Co. out of Plymouth, MA…it doesn’t more local than that, unless we have Bill and the beer club come sample their stuff! We have another rookie, Jeff from Mayflower Brewing Co will be here tonight (Thursday) from 4:30 to 7:30 to sample you on his Pale Ale, Golden Ale, IPA, and Porter. I have yet to try these beers myself, but Josh says that they are pretty good. We brought in a case of each a couple weeks ago and they almost sold through, so I am looking forward to tasting them with you.

We’re trying to get a head count on those interested in attending the Lager Education Night/BBQ/brewery tour at Buzzards Bay Brewery next Thursday. It’s from 5 to 8 PM and about a 45 minute ride from Cork’s. We will probably leave here around 4:30 or so and we can carpool for those interested. If you prefer to drive yourself try to giver me a heads up and so I can let Bill Russell the owner (no...not the x-Celt legend… or for you diehards not the Dodgers shortstop of the 70’s either) have a rough idea of how many are coming. There is more info on our website (corksfinewine.com) or the BBB website at buzzardsbrew.com.

We’d like to give a big thank you to John and Sarah for doing an excellent job at the “Customer Wine Tasting” Friday night. They had some pretty expensive wines at the tasting and did quite well with them. They also had a couple of excellent Long Island wines, 1 of which I went to on Monday and toured. Palmer Vineyards not only makes delicious world class wines, they have an absolutely gorgeous winery/tasting room/deck overlooking the vineyards. For those longing to go to Napa/Sonoma or even Europe, but it’s just not in the budget the Long Island Wineries are a 1 ½ hour drive and a beautiful ferry ride away. If anybody is interested please let me know and I’ll make sure you get VIP treatment on your visit.

We’re going to take a couple of weeks off from wine tastings as we wind up the summer months and get ready for the fall wine season. We’re looking at dates now for our big Fall/Holiday wine tasting, and once we get through the Kick-Off Beer tasting we will set a date for that. And for those of you going to Country fest on Saturday we have plenty of Kenny Chesney’s favorites…Corona and Cruzan Rum for the festivities. We even have a life-size (I think Kenny is wearing lifts these days to be honest) to give away for the best cowboy/cowgirl outfit…who are we kidding…just cowgirl outfit!!... that comes in the store. So Giddyyyupp!! and swing by Cork’s before the show.

Robert

PS….shhhhhh...don’t tell anybody, but we have Shipyard Pumpkin Ale and a few other Autumn beers that have just arrived in limited quantities.

3rd Customer Wine Tasting

Welcome to Cork’s weekly newsletter. Finally a nice stretch of summer weather to enjoy. Now if only the Sox can go into NY and keep that unbeaten streak against the Yankees going. We’re going to take another week off from beer tastings this week as we get rid of the last the summer beers and get ready for Autumn/Oktoberfest beers. I think the Sam Octoberfest will be in next week, with tons of others to follow. This is my favorite beer time of year, and as we have in the past will bring in every fall beer out there and build a huge display in the front of the store.

We have our 3rd Customer Wine Tasting this Friday night from 4 to 7 PM. Our friends John and Sarah will be here pouring some of their favorite wines for you to try. They have an interesting lineup of wines from Long Island (where they are from), and their favorite wineries that they have visited. They will start with Palmer Pinot Blanc and Corey Creek Chardonnay. These are both world class wines from a great growing area, the North Fork of Long Island, NY. These wines and wineries usually get lumped in with the Finger Lakes region of NY, but are really quite delicious. There are over 30 on LI wineries that parallel the great wine growing regions in Bordeaux, France. I lived out there for 2 years and made several trips out to the wineries. Coincidently I’m making another trek this Monday with our friends from Sun Wholesale. These make great weekend getaways, and they are less than 3 ½ hours away by car or ferry. Merryvale Sauvignon Blanc will finish off the white portion of the tasting. They both love Cabernet Franc, so we will re-visit the local Cab Franc from Greenvale Vineyards next. Sebastiani Zinfandel and St. Supery Cabernet are 2 wineries that they have visited, and make perfect wines for those ribs and steaks that you throw on the Grill. I know it’s the dog days of the summer, but let’s try and support John and Sarah at this excellent tasting. Who’s up for the next one?

I’m leaning towards the 20th of August for our Thursday beer tasting/roadtrip to Buzzards Bay in Westport. It would be from 5 to 8 PM, and they have grills set up to BBQ as well as a brewery tour. Don’t forget the Newport Storm Luau which is on Saturday, August 15th. I just got off the phone with them and they are leaning against roasting a pig this year, but they will still have plenty of catered BBQ…their delicious beers…and lots of cool music all to benefit the Ft. Adams Fund. We’ll throw some more info and links on the website (corksfinewine.com) for both of these beer events. Have a great weekend and we’ll see you soon.

Robert

Thanks for attending our 3rd Customer Appreciation Day!

Welcome to Cork’s weekly newsletter. I hope all of you had a good time at our 3rd Annual Customer Appreciation Day. The weather was picture perfect, and I think it went off pretty smoothly. Hopefully everybody got at least a pint glass, a few burgers, and got to try some great summer wines/beers and cocktails. As the Patriots start training camp today, let us remind you that the next BIG tasting will be our 5th Annual Kickoff Beer tasting. The date will be Saturday, September 12th from 2:30 to 5 PM. We will start bringing in new beers, and will have the 1st of the Autumn/Oktoberfest beers trickling in for this event in the next month or so. We will have updates as always on the website at corksfinewine.com.

We don’t have a beer tasting on the schedule for the next couple of weeks. I’ll get Josh on that, and at least do a couple before the big beer tasting on 9/12. We’re also thinking of taking a Thursday beer tasting on the road to visit our good friend Bill Russell at Buzzards Bay Brewing in Westport, MA. They have “Lager Education Night” every Thursday in the summer months from 5 to 8 PM. I’m thinking the 13th or 20th of August for this road trip/tasting. Anybody interested, or have a preference in either of those dates? Speaking of road trips, I strongly recommend the 11th Annual Newport Storm Luau benefiting the Fort Adams Trust down in Newport, RI on Saturday August 15th. I went to the 1st one, and a few others and these guys put on an awesome event…not to mention delicious pig on a spit! I will have my webmistress/sistah put some info on these events on the website as well.

We have yet another rookie making her Friday night debut this week at our 4 to 7 PM wine tasting. Ellen from the Connoisseur Division of United will be here to sample you on some great summer wines. She will start us off with Sofia Riesling from Francis Ford Coppola Winery. Next, we go to Australia for Down Under Chardonnay. This is a good, true to the varietal, Chardonnay at the ridiculously low price of $5.99. Next up is my yearly, albeit a bit late and smaller, Rose wine push. Domaine Massamier La Mignarde Cuvee des Oliviers Rose….geeez with a name like that no wonder people are scared of French Rose’s…Commanderie de la Bargemone Rose is the 2nd one we will taste. Again…these aren’t your grammas sweet White Zin, but a delicious expression of Syrah, Grenache, and Cinsault that make them perfect summer wines for these humid 90 degree days. She will finish with Acacia Pinot Noir. Acacia was 1 of the very 1st wineries I visited out in the Carneros region of Napa Valley. I’ve been a huge fan of theirs and pushing their great wines ever since…and for those wine mgs on our newsletter list…see what a nice VIP tour, a collared golf shirt, and a bottle of wine will get you? All kidding aside, if anybody is visiting any breweries or wineries, be they local or even overseas, please let us know and we’ll try to get you a lil something extra on your visit.

Lastly, you have to visit Courtney’s “Fresh” wine display in the front of the store. No, these are not new, fresh, fruity local wines but…ummm at the risk of offending the PC police let’s call them “interesting” wines. I’ll list a few and I’m sure you’ll get the gist. In the Buff…7 Deadly Zins…Bitch…Ménage-a-Trois…Pro-mis-cuous…Sin Zin…Fat Bastard…and a slew of other “interesting” and “fresh” names. This screams for bringing back the mystery discount if you asked me!! So just say something “fresh” or “interesting” to our now startled cashier and you will receive 15% off any of these fun wines. Speaking of discounts, you may want to load up a bit today or tomorrow, as unfortunately we have to start charging 6.25% tax on ALL liquor starting Saturday, August 1st. Last but not least we have our 3rd Customer Wine tasting with out friends John & Sarah scheduled for next Friday night, so be sure to mark your calendar for that as well. Have a great weekend.

Robert

Customer Appreciation Day!!

Well it's less than 2 days away! Cork’s 3rd Annual Customer Appreciation Day is this Saturday, July 25th from 1 to 4 PM. And after a long miserable stretch of weather, they are saying sunny and 80 degrees!! For those who have never been to one of these events, it’s our chance to give something back to you, our customers, for making Cork’s your liquor store of choice. I know you have lots of choices in the area, and we appreciate that you choose to patronize Cork’s. This may also be your last chance to say goodbye to Erin as she’s moving down south…Hmmm…does that mean we change the plaza name to Kat’s Centre?

OK…so let’s talk about the BBQ/Tasting/Raffle. We will have burgers and dogs on the grill. Sorry, we like you folks and all but NO steaks and lobsters this year again. We will have chips and snacks...water and soda/juice…so by all means bring the kiddies! We’re even thinking of having a “Big Salad” for Elaine and the svelte Tommy Bolini. We’re still looking for volunteers for the grill as Don and Bill from last year are both away on vacation.

We have a great lineup of fun summer wines, beers and liquors for you to sample as well. Let’s start with beer…We have a new rep, Keith, from Magic Hat here to pouring the magical elixirs from their summer 12-pk…Our pal Yanni will be here to sample you on Opa-Opa including their Watermelon growlers. OOHHPA!!.... Mike’s will be here to refresh your palates with 4 brand new flavors!! Our friends from Boston Beer Co. will be here with a mixture of Sam Adams and Twisted Teas. Dan from Quality will have new beers from Widmer and Redhook for you to try. Our new L. Knife rep. Miguel will have a bunch of his “Summer Beers” that he has in his portfolio as well.

On the wine/liquor side we have Tommy Bolini and Zimmy the Greek!! Tommy will have the brand new Montinore Borealis Northern Whites, and a sweet/chillable red called Bully Hill Banty Red. He also has new UV RTD Cocktails in Lemonade, Blue Raspberry, and Cherry flavors. Zimmy is actually Jamie from MS Walker fresh back from Greece with lots of stories to tell. You might think he’d have Greek wines for you, but alas he has 2 new organic Chilean wines from Cono-Sur (Pinot Noir & Sauv. Blanc) and a bunch of delicious Spanish and Italian wines. Si Soave (you have to Si this crazy bottle), Santi Pinot Grigio, Con Class Rueda, Evodia Grenache, and Red Guitar Tempranillo. Mr. “Bud”erworth will be back with Rum Jumbies!! They come in Coconut, Mango, Pineapple, and Vanilla. He also has 2 wines…Dogajolo Tuscan Red and the brand new White. Our farming friends from Harvard, MA will also be here with their yummy Apfel Eis apple ice wine.

We can’t forget about our fabulous raffle!! We have a ton of stuff from T-shirts and pint glasses to bikes and a gaming chair…we have huge patio umbrellas...coolers…a Bud Light/Redsox canopy…a Sam Adams deck chair…and tons of other good stuff. We’re trying to tweak the raffle so it’s less confusing and chaotic (though that is what makes it fun!) Each customer will fill out an entry form and that will also be your # for the whole day. The raffle will be at 2:30 and you MUST be present to win. The problem we had in the past was that people would have their # called in the front of the store, and all the “stuff” was in the back of the store. Some people would be # 4 and not want to wade through the masses for their prize and would wait until the end…only to find all the good stuff gone and only wicker reindeer left!! I think we’re going to try to do the entire thing in the back to help solve that problem. After all this supposed to be a fun drama-less day!

I think I covered everything…and conveniently have yet to mention the slumping Sox…yikes...those damn Yankees are ruining our Summahhh!! No worries we have plenty of time left, and if memory serves me 8 more with them and they’ve yet to beat us! Geeze I don’t think I’ve used this many exclamation points since I was 12 !!!! I promise I’ll stop.

From Megan, Robert, Don, Erin, Kat, Andrew, Ben, Robin, Marianne, Shannon, Josh, Courtney, Ursula, Valerie, Brian, Cody, and even Ted the wine dog (let us not forget the long line of “ X” Cork’s employees as well…yikes there sure has been some doozies)… we all want to THANK YOU !! for being loyal Cork’s customers. See you all Saturday!!...OK just a few more!!!

One week to Customer Appreciation Day

Welcome to Cork's weekly newsletter. Finally…a nice stretch of summer weather to enjoy. We do have 1 tasting lined up this week to get you ready for our 3rd Annual Customer Appreciation day that is a little over a week away. We’ve been working on our lineups and there will be lots of fun stuff. Be sure to check out the website (corksfinewine.com) for a listing of what we be tasting and other news on the big event. The concert season swings back into action big time, with Billy Joel & Elton John at Gillette and Nas, Damien, Marley, and the Roots at Tweeter…hmmmm…tough choice…which one are you going to?

We have another rookie making his Friday night debut at Cork’s from 4 to 7 PM this week. Joe from Ruby Wines will be here with 6 new and interesting wines for you to sample. He will start with a yummy sparkling wine from France called Marquis de la Tour Brut. This is a delicious sparkler, and because it’s from the Loire Valley and not Champagne, it is a steal at $10.99. Next up are 2 interesting wines with crazy names and labels from Charles Smith out of Washington State. Kung Fu Girl Riesling and The Velvet Devil Merlot. Off to Argentina for Susana Balbo’s Crios Torrontes. Hands down, this is the best Torrontes I have ever had and makes a great alternative summer wine. Next up is Ben Marco Malbec…do I sense a trend here with all these Malbecs week after week?...only this one has a twist with 10 % Bonarda that makes this wine amazing. Last but not least is Hahn Estates Meritage. This is a true Bordeaux blend with all 5 of the Bordeaux varietals, unlike most of the wines from the Bordeaux region that tend to be just Cab and Merlot. This is truly an exceptional lineup so please stop by and welcome Joe to the Cork’s Friday night lineup.

Well the Sox are in 1st at the break…unfortunately the Militia lost on a last second kickoff return, in what was one of the best live sporting events I’ve ever been to. I guess we’ll have to look to the Pats to take us to the Super Bowl this year. There won’t be any beer or wine tastings next week as we prepare for the big day on Saturday. The event is from 1 to 4 and is always a blast, so be sure to save a couple hours to stop by.

Robert

This week's tastings...

Welcome to Cork’s weekly newsletter. I hope everybody had a great 4th of July weekend. At least the sun popped out for a bit before returning to it’s doom and gloom pattern. Well, we have 2 tastings this week to lift your spirits. And don’t forget our 3rd Annual Customer Appreciation Day is just a little over 2 weeks away. We have details on the website so be sure to check it out at corksfinewine.com

Tonight’s (Thursday) beer tasting is with our neighbors from Narragansett from 4:30 to 7:30. They will feature the classic Narragansett Lager Beer, Light, and the owner of the company is trying to track down Bock Beer as well. The larger cans now come in a convenient 18 –pk, and we even have a few ties left over from Father’s Day that we have attached to them. The Gansett folks usually bring a bunch of stuff, from koozies to ping pong balls, so be sure to stop by and give this once… and hopefully soon to be local beer a try. Their new slogan is buy a case… and we’ll build a new brewery… back in RI where they belong!

We have one of our suppliers, Mark making a rare guest appearance for this weeks Friday night wine tasting. He has some nice and interesting summer wines for you to sample between 4 and 7 PM. 1st up is La Playa Sauvignon Blanc from Chile. This is a great party wine, and we have the whole La Playa line in the 1.5 L value size. We go to Germany next for the Urban Riesling from the Mosel region. This is another good value wine, and perfect if we ever see the warm summer sun. Back in the plane as the amazing race takes us to Tuscany, Italy for La Bastarda Bianco and Il Bastardo Rosso. These 2 for $20 wines have what looks to be Tommy Bolini with a suit 2 sizes too small on the red label, and in a tutu with his hair in a bun on the white. If that were not enough, he will finish the tasting with 1 of my favorite new wines called Llama Old Vine Malbec. …is it just me or does anybody else think Pao Gasol looks like a llama?... http://www.andres3000.com/2008/08/05/pau-gasol-is-no-llama-or-is-he/ … either way this is 1 of the best Malbecs in the store and a must try.

More good news on the wine end…the Bitch is back! This delicious Grenache is always a hit, and is only available a couple times a year. Also back from his 2 month vacation/shaving/diet camp is Ted the wine dog!...and he’s looking cuter than ever too. He’s here today, but will be making his usual guest appearances for all those who have been asking about him.

Robert

Torrential Rain, Will It Ever Stop Newsletter

Welcome to Cork’s "Torrential rain, when will it ever stop?" newsletter. This is really getting a bit ridiculous here, but they say sun for Saturday and Sunday. I myself am quite skeptical at this point, but we can hope. This weather is almost as crazy as the last 2 Redsox games!!

Well either way we have a couple of tastings lined up this weekend to get you ready for the 4th. We’ve also been hitting up our vendors for lots of free stuff to give away at our 3rd Annual Customer Appreciation day, which is less than a month away as well. Be sure to check out the website for details on the event as it draws closer.

We don’t have a beer tasting lined up for this Thursday but we do have a Twisted Tea tasting on Friday night from 4:30 to 7:30. They will be featuring the flavors in their mix 12 pk including Original, Half & Half, Raspberry, Green Citrus, Midnight, Backyard Batch, and the brand new, 'Will the Rain Ever Freakin Stop?' flavors! These are great summer refreshers and will be 10 % off the day of the tasting.

Peter, our friend from Greece, will be here Friday from 4 to 7 PM to sample you on his outstanding Greek wines. Up until Peter came to Cork’s about 6 months ago, I had a very low opinion and had yet to try any Greek wines I found palatable. Well, he changed my perception and has some really delicious wines for you to sample. I’m going to attempt spelling the wines and will leave the descriptions up to Peter, but trust me, these are excellent wines, and reasonably priced.

He will start with Cambas Mantinia, a dry white wine. The next 3 are reds, starting with Korinthia, moving on to Agiorgitiko, and ending with Aspa Argyros. He will finish the tasting with a sweet red dessert wine called Patras Mavrodaphne. The reds are great for the grill and I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the quality of these wines.

After much debate we’ve decided to open from 10AM to 8 PM on Saturday, July 4th. Sunday (yeah, like there really is a sun), the 5th will be our normal hours of 12-6. Hopefully the deluge will subside enough to throw a few burgers on the grill, and a see a little fireworks this weekend. I hope you have a great and safe 4th.

Robert

Welcome to Cork's Jimmy Buffet Newsletter

It looks like the weather will finally clear in time for the shows on Thursday night and Saturday. We have a bunch of tastings lined up for both shows, and a wine tasting wedged in the middle for Friday. We’re loaded up on all the tequila, margarita mixes, and of course plenty of Corona and Landshark beer! If that wasn’t enough the 8-0 Boston Militia have their 1st playoff game at home at 6 PM on Saturday in Somerville, MA. I went to a game a couple of weeks ago and this is real tackle football and a lot of fun to watch. Check out their website at www.bostonmilitia.com to order tickets.

OK…so for day 1 of Jimmy Buffet, we have 2 liquor tastings lined up from 3 to 6 PM to help you pre-game for the show. Our pal Mr. “Bud”erworth will have the brand new Rum Jumbie for you to sample. This is a delicious new rum imported from St. Marten and comes in coconut, mango, vanilla, and pineapple flavors. This is Kat's new favorite spirit and she says, " Mmmmmm mmmmm good!" We also have John from Cabin Fever here to mix up some summery concoctions of this fabulous maple liqueur. So put on your flowered shirts, leis, and parrothead outfits and stop by on your way to the show.

Our friend John from Trio Wines will be here Friday night from 4 to 7 PM to sample you on some of his new wines. He will start off with an excellent Chardonnay from New Zealand called Cable Bay. This normally is a $25 Chard but we got a closeout price on it and it is a steal at $15.99. House Jam Chillen White and Smooth Red Wine will be next. These are great summer wines (you even chill the red!!) and at 2 for $16, great value wines as well. We end with 2 wines that are perfect for the grill. Bianchi Zinfandel is a nice spicy, jammy Zin and will pair perfectly with barbecue ribs. And for that big juicy steak we have Doolittle Farms Napa Valley Cabernet to end this outstanding tasting.

For day 2 of Jimmy Buffet we have (hopefully) one of the Bud girls to sample you on Margaritaville RTD cocktails and Landshark beer. We’re even going to break out our official Margaritaville Frozen Concoction Maker and make some frozen drinks for you as well!! This event is from 2 to 5 PM or until we run out of tequila!! So be sure to stop by for 1 or all of these tastings this weekend and be sure to check out the website (corksfinewine.com) for upcoming events. We even have new wine & beer t-shirts, mugs, and other crazy stuff for you.

Robert

Fight the liquor tax!! And Happy Father's Day!

Welcome to Cork’s Father’s Day newsletter. There is a ton of stuff going on here at Cork’s in the next couple of weeks. We have a Widmer/Redhook Tasting tonight. A geyser Peak/Sushi Tasting on Friday night. There are 3 concerts at Great Woods this week, with Buffet in for 2 shows next week. We have multiple tastings wrapped around both of those shows as well. We’ve got the Sox on a roll in inter-league action…the US Open at Bethpage and don’t forget the great local charity event (cvscharityclassic.com) down in RI put on by Billy Andrade and Brad Faxon. This is a great event, with world class golfers, and tickets are basically free if you go to CVS and buy batteries or shampoo. But you got to be quiet at the event as I am a Marshal and I’ll have to shush you if you’re boisterous.

Tonight’s (Thursday) beer tasting is from 4:30 to 7:30 and features some new beers from Widmer Brothers and Redhook. Redhook Slim Chance is a brand new low calorie-low carb- light beer out of Portsmouth, NH. Widmer Drop Top Amber Ale and Drifter Pale Ale were just released in MA from this excellent brewery out in Portland, OR. I’m sure they’ll mix in a couple of the “older” stuff from these 2 as well.

We have a special wine tasting lined up with Geyer Peak Winery out of California for this Friday. They have scheduled 1 of their fabulous supermodels from 4 to 7 PM and she’s bringing some sushi to pair with the wines. Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc is 1 of my favorite SB’s from CA and is the perfect, refreshing summer wine. She will also have the Chardonnay for you to sample as well. We will have free chopsticks with any purchase of Geyser Peak, and all who come to the tasting can throw their name in a hat for a Proctor Silex rice cooker. Since we are sourcing this tasting out those are the only wines she is scheduled to pour….I know what all you red drinkers are saying right now…what the heck...no reds? So we will gently persuade her to pour the Francis Coppola Merlot as well. Who knows maybe we can talk her into trying something else too.

As we all know our state and country are facing tough economic times. As a rule I try to stay out of all political and religious discussions, especially in these newsletters. But I do want to share a little info about the proposed 6.25 % tax on alcohol that I have been forwarded to by many of our distributors.

The 6.25% Sales Tax on Beverage Alcohol
Governor Deval Patrick is trying to convince the legislature to not only increase the existing sales tax from 5% to 6.25% but to apply it to many new sales categories. One of those proposed categories is Beverage Alcohol which is already heavily taxed on the state and federal levels in the form of an excise tax that is approximately 39% of the wholesale cost on a bottle of vodka. This tax is paid for by the wholesaler and passed on to us the retailer along with the wholesaler's mark-up, which we then mark-up to reach our retail price level. A sales tax at the point of purchase would then tax you the consumer for an item that has already been taxed and marked-up. It is a tax on a tax that w e are all to familiar with these days. Please help us stop this unnecessary, redundant taxation, e-mail your state representative and senator and tell them you do not support this initiative.

The link to contact your local politician is: www.mass.gov/legis/city_town.htm

Case of Beer $23.99 - Total tax = $10.39
Bottle of Wine $9.99 - Total tax = $3.55
Bottle of Vodka $19.99 - Total tax = $7.10

Now The State Wants You To Pay 20% More By Passing Into Law A New 6.25% A lcohol Tax

Call your Legislators TODAY
Massachusetts State House - 617-722-2000

OK…that’s out of the way back to the fun stuff. We do have a ton of great gift ideas for Dad’s Father’s Day present. From single malt scotches...to fine wines…to his favorite beer. Let’s hope this dreary weather breaks and that you all have a great weekend.

Robert

Back from the Milwaukee brewery...

Well I’m back from my Midwest trip and I brought lots of yummy, crazy cheeses for this Friday’s wine tasting! I hear things were pretty busy and wild last week with the Phish concert. The concert season is in full swing with 3 more shows coming up including Aerosmith and the Dropkick Murphy’s next Tuesday. Let’s see what else has been going on…The Sox beat the Yankees again…7-0 this season…wooohooo!!…the Lakers got beat...always a good thing…and the Militia look to cap off a perfect season and get ready for the playoffs.

We have our pal Bud from Atlantic Brewing here to sample you on the outstanding beers from Stone Brewing Co. tonight (Thursday) from 4:30 to 7:30. He will have the IPA, Ruination IPA, Levitation, Arrogant Bastard, Smoked Porter, and Imperial Russian Stout for you to try. Speaking of Bud, and tastings, he set me up for a tour at Lakefront Brewery out in Milwaukee on Tuesday afternoon. Between wineries and breweries I’ve probably toured well over 50 of them, and this was the most fun I’ve ever had on a tour. It’s owned by two brothers...1 being the nerdy brewer and the other one…well...kind of a cross between a comedian and a drunk. For starters they give you a 12 oz. cup, and 4 tokens for what they say entitles you to a 6 0Z sample. Well they pretty much fill the glass all the way up, and ½ way through the tour he says beer break, this one is on me! He downed at least 3 bottles himself on the tour, and it was his 3rd tour of the day. 60 ounces of beer later …complete with him singing and mimicking the entire cast of Lavern and Shirley this was 1 fun tour. I strongly recommend checking them out if you’re ever in the area… (http://www.lakefrontbrewery.com/tour.html) This is a few video clips of Jim’s tour. We currently only carry their New Grist Gluten Free Beer, and the seasonal Pumpkin Ale but we will be bringing in more in the very near future.

Tommy Bolini will be taking his traveling show to Cork’s this Friday night from 4 to 7 PM. He will be featuring the delicious wines from Wild Horse out of Paso Robles. He will have the Chardonnay, the always highly rated Pinot Noir, and the Cabernet Sauvignon for you to taste. He will start the proceedings with Louis Bouillot Cremante de Bourgogne Grand Reserve. This is an excellent sparkling wine that I would put up against some of the better Champagnes out there, yet is only $16.99 per bottle. He will finish the tasting with a Strawberry Rhubarb Wine from Nashoba Valley Winery…hmmm I wonder if that pairs well with the funky Wisconsin cheeses I’m going to bring for the tasting. I guess you’ll have to come and find out!

Robert

It's Concert time!!

Welcome to Cork’s weekly newsletter. Well, the concert season at Great Woods is in full swing with a show tonight and Saturday night. We’re all wearing black and have our nails painted for the Jane’s Addiction and Nine Inch Nails concert tonight. And we’re saving our best tie-dye shirts for Saturday’s Phish show as well. So be sure to stop by and stock up for all your parking lot refreshments.

We have 2 beer tastings lined up for this week. On Thursday night from 4:30 to 7:30 PM we have our good friend Tim Coleman here to sample you on the great beers from Ipswich Ale Brewing Co. He will have the Ale, IPA, Oatmeal Stout, and the Summer beer for you to taste. Tim doesn’t know it yet, but we are going to twist his arm and have him taste the newest in the Southern Tier 22 oz lineup as well. It’s called Mokah and it’s a stout beer made with chocolate and coffee. This sounds soooo yummy, and if it’s anything like the Chokolat will fly out of here once you taste it.

It looks like my cousin Vinnie will be doing the Magic Hat beer tasting on Saturday from 1 to 4 PM. We had it booked with our buddy Josh (not our Josh) from Magic Hat but he skipped town on us. So Vinnie will pre-game you for the Phish concert with the usual crazy brews out of Burlington, VT. The lineup will be # 9, Lucky Kat, Odd Notion, and Wacko…sounds about right for the concert crowd. And you can also go to magichat.net and enter to win a trip for 2 to Amsterdam….hmmmm I wonder if Phish Heads would like Amsterdam?

We will not have a wine tasting this Friday night as I will be out in cow country for my daughter's graduation. Plus, I think we need a week off between Kevin “cone of silence” from last week, and the Tommy Bolini show scheduled for next Friday night.

I hope everybody has a great weekend I’ll see you all soon.

Robert

Getting ready for summer and concerts with all you need from Cork's Fine Wine!

I hope everybody had a great Memorial Day weekend. The weather cooperated for the most part as we unofficially kicked off the summer.

We keep things rolling with another beer and wine tasting this week. We’ve also added a bunch more right through the summer months, including our next “Customer Wine Tasting” with John and Sarah. Be sure to check the website (corksfinewine.com) for details on all the upcoming events.

This week’s beer tasting is with our good friend Kristin from L. Knife. She will be featuring the extremely hot beers from Troegs Brewing Co. out of Harrisburg, PA. They have been in the Mass market for a couple months and this Thursday, from 4:30 to 7:30, you get your chance to taste them. We have 3 styles for you to sample….Troegs Pale Ale, Sunshine Pils, and Troegenator Doublebock Beer. They come in 6-packs, and like all our tastings you will receive 10 % off any of the beers you try. Unfortunately this will probably be your last chance to see the lovely Kristin, as she is with child and will be taking the next 8 years off!!...so stop by...try some great beers and say your goodbyes.

We go from 1 of our favorite sales reps to…well…Kevin from Commonwealth Wines for this Fridays wine tasting. He may be loud and pesky but he has some great stuff for you to try this Friday night from 4 to 7 PM. Maso Canali Pinot Grigio is a delicious PG, and will get the tasting started. Next up is another great summer white, Wente Riverbank Riesling. Lastly for wines we have Ghost Pines Merlot. I kinda usually have the “Sideways” take on Merlots myself, but this 1 is an ’05 vintage and is so big, it’s throwing tons of sediment and has a deep purple cork. Part 2 of the tasting is TY-KU Asian Citrus Liqueur and Sake. These are the ones in the crazy pyramid type bottles (the green 1 even lights up!). The 750 ml. Sake comes in a “Sake Bomb Kit” that has 2 shot glasses and chopsticks that come free with the Sake. If that wasn’t enough, Kevin has a complete Ty-Ku sushi kit that we will raffle off at the end of the tasting. This thing is really cool and I would say is worth least 50 bucks. Everyone who comes to the tasting can register once, and for every bottle of wine or Ty-Ku you purchase you can put 1 more name in the bucket!!

I think this crappy weather is finally going to break into a nice weekend. Just in time for the concert season to kick into gear shows this Saturday, and next Wednesday over at Great Woods. Don’t forget we now have full liquor and all the “Ready to Drink” cocktails chilled for you concert goers. We also have foam coolers, plenty of ice, and the must have “big red concert cups” for the parking lot. We have a ton of tastings lined up around the concerts including Phish, and the 2 Jimmy Buffet shows. We have a link for all the shows on the website and I’m sure we’ll tweet, chirp, blog, burp, and facebook about them as well. Have a great weekend.

Robert

Welcome to the Memorial Day Newsletter!!

Welcome to Cork’s Memorial Day Newsletter. We legally have to close on this Monday holiday, so be sure to come in early to stock up. The weather is supposed to be great right through the weekend, perfect for the beach and barbecues. Fortunately the Bruins and Celtics had this in mind so we don’t have to be glued to our TV’s and can get out and enjoy the holiday weekend.

If you liked last week’s 3 tastings, we do 1 better with 4 lined up for this week. Mark from La Resistance will be here on Thursday from 4:30 to 7:30 to sample you on 4 new brews from High & Mighty Beer Co. 1st up is ‘Purity of Essence”… a nicely hopped, unfiltered lager. Next is “Beer of the Gods”…unfiltered, unpasteurized, and uncompromised (hey…I’m just taking it off the label!!). Next up is St. Hubbins Abbey…delightfully hoppy & unfiltered…and why not? Last but not least is the “Two-Headed Beast”…a luscious chocolate stout. Not part of this tasting but hot, and new to Cork’s are the Trinity Brewhouse IPA out of Providence, and a couple of Pretty Things. We will be tasting these sometime in the future but they are limited in supply and on fire right now. 1 last beer note…we have a bunch of Winter/Holiday beers left over and will be taking 20% off them. You can find them on a front rack by the register. These are mainly large format bottles and I’m sure are still drinking great.

We have our friend Jack from Grape Moments here on Friday night from 4 to 7 PM for an Iberian Peninsular wine tasting. I forget what 3 Portuguese wines he will be pouring. I do know that he will finish with the Jockey Club Porto in honor of that crazy lil guy who keeps switching horses and winning Triple Crown races. He will also have a delicious Spanish wine from the Ribera Del Duero called Valdunes. It is an “03 vintage, that sees 12 months in new oak and is the perfect wine to have with that grilled steak or ribs.

We also have 2 spirits tastings for the holiday weekend as well. Friday from 4 to 7pm, the owner, and creator of a high end Polish Vodka will be here to sample you on his premium vodka called V one. He is local, out of Hadley, MA and uses 100% organic spelt wheat. I’d put this up against the Grey Gooses of the vodka world for less money. Keeping with the local theme, we have Jim Bowman, a member of the ‘85 Patriot Super Bowl team here on Saturday from 1 to 3 PM to complete the tasting extravaganza with 2 new Ready-2-drink cocktails. Captain Morgan Long Island Iced Tea and Smirnoff Tuscan Lemonade are the newest in the RTD category and make great summer sippers. He will also autograph any vintage “Pat Patriot” jerseys, helmets or any Pats gear you throw in front of him. Sorry….it’s not Tom Brady or Wes Welker for Shannon, but not bad for a May Saturday in Mansfield. I hope you all have a great and safe holiday weekend and we’ll see you soon.

Robert

The Triple Header

Welcome to Cork’s weekly newsletter. Things are looking up for the locals as the Bruins and Celtics are still alive and kicking in the playoffs. Even the Sox are quietly off to an excellent start as they hit the west coast. Keeping with the local theme we have a triple header local tasting scheduled this Friday here at Cork’s. We have Berkshire Brewing Co. for beer…Berkshire Mountain Distillers for booze…and Greenvale Vineyards for local wine.

We have the owner of Greenvale Vineyards, Nancy Parker Wilson, here to taste you on her delicious local wines out of Portsmouth, Rhode Island. This is a gorgeous property and if you ever get to southern RI, you must stop by for a visit. Here is their website if you want to check them out (www.greenvale.com). She will start with Skipping Stone White, which is a blend of Cayuga and Vidal Blanc. Next would be their 100 % Vidal Blanc. Last but not least, a fantastic local Cabernet Franc.

Our friend Mike from Berkshire Brewing will be making a return engagement to sample his awesome lineup of brews. Steel Rail Extra Pale Ale, Berkshire Ale, Drayman’s Porter, Lost Sailor IPA, Shabadoo Black & Tan Ale, River Ale, Coffeehouse Porter, Gold Spike Ale, and I think they even have some Raspberry Barleywine Style Ale left as well. These are all available cold in 22 oz bottles, and the 4 most popular are available in 64 oz. growlers too!! This is always the most popular table at our big beer tastings and you can now have the time and room to taste through these at a more leisurely pace.

As if Mike wasn’t busy enough pouring those 37 beers, he has 3 new spirits for you to sample as well. They are all made locally at Berkshire Mountain Distillers in Sheffield, MA. There is Greylock Gin, Ice Glen Vodka, and Bagged Mountain Rum. These are all hand crafted in small batches and are really quite good.

The wine tasting is from 4 to 7 PM with the beer & spirits tasting from 4:30 to 7:30. Please stop by and help support the local guys. As a matter of fact, walk or carpool to help lower your carbon footprint. This “Triple Header” tasting is kinda like the Sox/Bruins/and Celtics all playing on the same night. I don’t know about you, but thank goodness for remote controls and DVR’s or I’d never make it through all 3!!

Robert

Back to tastings!!

Welcome to Cork’s weekly newsletter. Quite a bit has happened since the last newsletter…The Bruins and Celtics getting by the 1st round and struggling in the next series...the Sox getting spanked by the Rays (13-0 in the game I went to) but beating up on the Yankees…the Pats making a ton of draft day moves...even the Boston Militia off to a 3-0 start….wow!!...breaking sports news as I write this...Manny tests positive for steroids!!...50 game suspension!!...I’m guessin his defense will be that they were in his Flintstone chewables!!

After a couple weeks off, we will be back full swing into the wine and beer tastings. We have Jean-Mark here from Newport Storm out of RI here tonight (Thursday) from 4:30 to 7:30 PM to taste you on their excellent local beers. He will have their flagship Amber Ale, Blueberry, Summer Ale, and the Cyclone Series “Kim”. As with all our beer tastings, we will have 10 % off any beer you sample. Please try to come by and help support the local guys!

We have a special guest here for our wine tasting on Friday night from 4 to 7 PM. Mademoiselle Fanny Fouche will be here to taste you on the fabulous French wines of Laboure Roi. Yea, I know, Bum Runners has their “sit & spit” tasting the same night…and I’m sure Duds’s is sampling White Zin or something, but you need to stop by and taste these excellent French wines. She will have 3 of their value “Southern Varietal” wines for you to taste…Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, and Cabernet. These wines, along with the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are only $7.99 or 2 for $14. Next will be the delicious ’05 Poully Fuisse, a delightful expression of Chardonnay. Lastly we have a true French Burgundy (Pinot Noir) called Maximum for under $20!! So even if you’re going down the street to our competitors, please stop by and taste these exquisite Old World wines with Fanny.

We have picked out a date for our 3rd Annual Customer Appreciation Day. It will be Saturday, July 25th from 1 to 4 PM. This is our way of thanking you for being loyal Cork’s customers. We will have burgers and dogs on the grill… as well as a few wines…a few beers…a few liquors...and a ton of stuff to give away!! Be sure to check the website (corksfinewine.com) for all the upcoming events we have scheduled. Hopefully the sun comes out and we have a nice weekend. Oh yea…Happy Mother’s Day to all you Moms out there!!

Robert

Welcome to Cork's Earth Day Newsletter

To help celebrate Earthday I think I’ll recycle the old mystery discount this week but take the mystery out of it. Just mention you saw the newsletter…wear an outfit made entirely out of hemp...or just wish the cashier a happy Earthday and receive 10% off any organic wine or beer (including the brand new Southern Tier 422) we have in the store. And if you buy 6-wines (they don’t have to be organic) and ask the cashier, we’ll give you a 6 bottle, earth friendly, green cloth bag for free!! We also have a very limited supply of the really cool black, 4 bottle Earth 2.0 bags left over from Erin’s tasting on Saturday. If you buy at least 2 of the delicious Earth 2.0 wines you can score 1 of them as well.

Our buddy Jacob Pacific (sounds like a made up pornstar name to me) from Sam Adams will be here on Thursday from 4:30 to 7:30 to taste the new Imperial Series beers from Sam. He will have the Imperial White, Imperial Stout, and the Double Bock all in 4 pks for you to sample. I think he said he would do the fairly new Blackberry Witbier also. He promises us he will hang our gigantic Sam Adams montage in the front vestibule area after the tasting too!! One other beer note, we have a limited supply of the Guinness 250 Anniversary Stout. Limit (2) 6-pks per customer, while they last.

We don’t have a wine tasting scheduled this Friday (where are all those people who said they wanted to do a “Customer Wine Tasting” ?!?). I will be off next week on my sorta annual trip to Ft. Myers Beach and off to see the Sox in Tampa Bay, so there won’t be a wine tasting next week either. But we have 7 of the next 8 weeks already booked, so be sure to check the website out (corksfinewine.com) for the lineup.

There won’t be a newsletter next week ( but have no fear, I’ll probably tweet...blog…dig…blurb...burp…or throw updates on the website) so I want to mention that Saranac will be here next Thursday, April 30th from 4:30 to 7:30 for a beer tasting. I’m not sure what the lineup is going to be yet, but we haven’t done them in a long time and they always have good stuff. Let’s hope the Sox keep up their winning ways…The B’s polish off the Canadiens...and the Celts can overtake the upstart Bulls, and keep their playoff run going. Looks like the warm weather will finally be making an appearance…enjoy it, and I’ll catch you all in a couple weeks.

Robert