Melissa's blog

Absolut Miami


This year's limited edition flavor from Absolut , Absolut Miami, a orange blossom and passionfruit flavored vodka, has arrived.

Hijos De Villa, Spicebox, Mer Soleil Silver, and Hirter Variety Packs




Two new tequilas have arrived from Hijos de Villa.  The Reposado is in a pistol shaped bottle and the Blanco is in a revolver shaped bottle.

Spicebox spiced Canadian whisky has arrived


Mer Soleil Silver is an Unoaked California Chardonnay in a pretty ceramic bottle. 
      
Hirter Austrian beer variety packs have arrived.  The pack comes with two 16.9 ounce bottles of Hirter Morchl,  and one 16.9 ounce bottle Hirter Privat Pils and one of Hirter 1270, and a glass.  

Dreaming Tree Crush , Creme De Lys Chardonnay, and Burnett's Hot Cinnamon Vodka

Three new items have arrived this week...
Dreaming Tree Crush is a red blend of 67% Merlot and 33% Zinfandel made with cooperation from musician Dave Matthews.  
Creme De Lys is a new traditional California style Chardonnay.
Burnett's newest flavor, Hot Cinnamon Vodka, has the flavor of red hot cinnamon candies.  If you like cinnamon schnapps like Dekuyper Hot Damn, but wish they weren't so sweet and syrupy, Burnett's Hot Cinnamon will be perfect for you.  Try it in apple cider or hot cocoa! 

Pucker Vodka, Whipped Jack Rum, Smirnoff Marshmallow, Ultimo Almond, Kah Tequila, and Roscato have arrived

Lots of new items have arrived at The Vineyard in the last couple of weeks. 
Sour Apple Sass flavored Pucker vodka is an apple flavored vodka with flavors reminiscent of a green apple Jolly Rancher candy.  
smirnoff marshmallow
Smirnoff Fluffed Marshmallow is a new marshmallow flavored vodka.  It's not over sweetened, just a wee bit sweet, and very marshmallowy.   This one would be fantastic in hot cocoa.
Whipped Jack is a whipped cream flavored rum.  Sweet, not too heavy on alcohol flavor or alcohol punch,  and Cool Whip-esque it's great for just sipping on its own.  We've had fun with it in orange juice and pineapple juice,too.  
Roscato is a sweet lightly sparkling Italian red.  You may have tried this one at an Olive Garden restaurant.  If you like Il Conte d' Alba Stella Rossa or Casali Rosa di Rosa, you're likely to like Roscato.  
El Ultimo Agave Almond liqueur is an almond liqueur made with a 100% blue agave tequila and real almonds.  It's very amaretto-esque, but with a distinct tequila flavor. 

Kah Blanco Tequila  is a premium tequila that comes in a cool ceramic painted Day of the Dead style skull decanter.  
 
 

Cherry on Top Red


Cherry on Top Red has arrived.  It's a lightly sweet (really almost more of an "off dry" than a "sweet", about the sweetness of a kabinett Riesling, maybe even a wee bit dryer) California red blend.  If you like Totally Random Red or Brix, you'll really like this one.  If you like Cupcake Red Velvet or Menage a Trois, but would like to experiment with something a tad sweeter or like Riunite Lambrusco and would like to try something a step dryer, it's definitely worth a try.

Cakebread Dancing Bear and Beefeater 24 have arrived.

cakebread dancingbear

Cakebread Cellars Dancing Bear Red has arrived.  This luxurious Howell Mountain sourced single vineyard red is 80% Cabernet, 13% Merlot, and 7% Cab Franc. 

Beefeater 24 is a new variety of gin from Beefeater.  Its 12 botanical flavoring agents including exotic teas, citrus peels,coriander, licorice, angelica,almond, oris, and of course, juniper, are steeped in the spirits a full 24 hours and then bottled at the prime point of the run at 45% alcohol strength under the artisanal direction of the master distiller.  The process gives Beefeater 24 a ton of character, very floral and citrusy with the tiny nuances of the botanicals being very noticeable.  It's complex and interesting while still light and refreshing.

Estrella Damm Daura Gluten Free Lager Has Arrived


Estrella Damm Daura is a new gluten-free Spanish lager that is suitable for people with coeliac disease, but also designed to be tasty for everyone.

Totally Random Red has arrived

Totally Random is a California red blend made up mostly of Zin, Merlot, and Cab with a little bit of Petite Syrah and various other red varietals.  It's labeled a "sweet red", but unlike most reds labeled "sweet", it's only a little bit (if any) sweeter than popular fruity red blends like Menage a Trois and Cupcake Red Velvet.  If I were to have labeled it, I'd definitely gone with "off-dry" rather than "sweet". 

Qream Strawberry Liqueur, Simply Naked Chardonnay, and Crispin Cider just arrived

qream strawberry
Qream strawberry liqueur is a brand new liqueur.  It's creamy, but with a much lighter body than many cream cordials like Irish Cream or strawberry creams like Tequila Rose.  It's just rich enough to feel indulgent, but not so thick and syrupy that more than a sip or two seems cloying. Qream's alcohol base is super premium and smooth enough that it's not even initially obvious flavorwise that the drink is alcoholic.   It's delicious. 

Simply Naked is a new Unoaked California Chard
crispin
Crispin is a new American dry hard apple cider.