Rose wine has been making a comeback in the last few years.  For far too long it has been heaped in the same group as White Zin due to the similar color and shunned by wine lovers.  Lucky for us, what comes around goes around and Rose is back in a big way.

Last week we received our first shipment of South Island Pinot Noir Rose (New Zealand).   Like most Rose, SI Rose is made by crushing the grapes and allowing the juice to sit on the skins for a day.  This allows the juice to get some of the color from the skins, but not enough to make the wine red. The juice is then racked off (skins removed)  and put through a cool fermentation, leaving crisp, fruit-filled flavor. The result– the perfect summer wine!

SI Rose is dry and loaded with fruity berry flavors. Pair it with fish, chicken, seafood, pork,  and spicy cuisine, like Mexican, Indian and Thai. Great for brunches or barbecues! Think Concerts on the Square! Try it in a Sangria recipe.

http://www.brennansmarket.com/recipes_detail.lasso?ID=96

This summer… give pink a chance!

This spring the Brennan’s team took a trip out to Washington State to visit our pal, cherry grower King Kyle and the Stemilt family. They also stopped by Hyatt Vineyards, Badger Mountain and our newest winery Saint Laurent.  If they weren’t busy enough, they decided to drop by a few breweries, too. One of the first ones they stopped at was Scuttlebutt in Everett, Washington.

There they met owner Phil Bannon and the brewing team. Making beer started out as a hobby for Phil after his wife gave him a homebrewers kit in 1990. His wife Cynthia (nicknamed Scuttle) soon regretted her choice of gifts because Phil’s beer took over her kitchen.  In order to maintain marital bliss, Phil came up with a business plan and Scuttlebutt Brewery was founded in 1996. The rest is history.

Today they brew and sell their beer on the west coast. We are lucky enough to be only ones selling their brews west of Utah. They make 4 varieties in 6-packs: Gale Force IPA, Porter, Homeport Blonde and Amber Ale and a few in 22 oz bottles. Stop by and check out their brews!

Things are continuing to move along at the site for the new Oconomowoc store. Can’t you just picture the greenhouse full of plants and the garage doors wide open? It will be finished before we know it! We will have a firm date for opening and will post it as soon as we can.

Brent with St Laurent winemaker Craig Mitrakul

While in a trip to Washington State to visit orchards and wineries, the Brennan’s team visited Saint Laurent Winery and  immediately fell in love with their lovely, full bodied and fruit filled wines.   Now, we’re excited to welcome Saint Laurent Winery to our family of wineries!  

Saint Laurent is owned by Mike & Laura Mracheck. Mike’s mother was part of the family of growers that we buy Washington State  apples, pears and cherries (Thank you King Kyle for the great tip!) from.  Mike and Laura started out growing apples, sweet cherries and blueberries  in the 70’s. Soon, Mike wanted to expand his agricultural portfolio to grape growing. 

In 1999, Mike planted the first 60 acres, on the Wahluke slope, to Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Today the vineyards blanket 260 prime, fertile acres near the mighty Columbia River. The vineyard sites, on the Wahluke Slope, are located in the heart of the famous Columbia Valley AVA. The Wahluke Slope, has just been declared to be a separate AVA, which is highly renowned for premier red wines.

At first, they just grew grapes for another winery. With the 2001 vintage, they started making their own wines and the rest is history. Today, they produce 6,000 cases of wine a year and still continue to grow cherries, apples and blueberries. Their wines have won national acclaim.  We love them and know that you will, too!

Yesterday, Chris Luken from our Watts Road store was on NBC 15 Morning Show with Sarah Carlson featuring our Clinch Mountain Tomatoes and fun ideas on how to use them.  All the recipes shown are available on our recipe page.

After the long cold winter we had, a taste of summer is a welcome thing. Clinch Mountain Tomatoes direct from Tennessee have the flavor of a local summer tomato, but in the May.

While on a hot sauce buying trip to the Deep South, Skip Brennan took a wrong turn and ended up in Clinch Mountain, Tennessee. That’s where Skip met Jack Ritter, Tomato Grower Extraordinaire. Jack’s tomatoes are grown in rich soil of Tennessee, covered by greenhouses to protect them from both weather and vine-ripened

Most tomatoes on the market are picked before they’re ripe and cold-stored before shipping. In addition, they are grown hydroponically, so they lack the flavor of tomatoes grown in soil.  Clinch Mountain Tomatoes are grown in soil, vine-ripened and shipped directly to Brennan’s, not stored, for explosive tomato flavor.

Clinch Mountain Tomatoes are great enjoyed all alone sprinkled with a little sea salt. Also try: in  Caprese Salads & Greek Salads, on burgers, in a grilled cheese and in gazpacho. Check out our recipe page for more ideas.  http://www.brennansmarket.com/recipes.lasso (more…)

Wine and cheese…a classic pairing.  Though wine pairs well with foods of every origin and style, nothing beats a good wine and cheese pairing.  Why is this, you ask?  Simply put, the acidity of the grapes used in winemaking contrasts perfectly with the saltiness of cheese, creating a taste and sensory experience like no other.  With that being said, there are definitely certain pairings that naturally just work better with each other than others.  Aged Cheddar with a bold Cabernet, Smoked Gouda with a smokey Shiraz, triple cream cheeses with rich Chardonnays or crisp Roses…the list goes on.  But this blog’s purpose is to show you some pairings you may have never thought of, and trust me-as obscure as they may sound, they will knock your socks off!  They do feature sweeter wine styles; however, because of the balance that the cheeses contribute, even the sweetest wines can be enjoyable to the driest of dry wine lovers. 

The first pairing is the Italia Moscato d’Asti with our Wisconsin-Made American Grana (I told you these pairings might sound strange).  The Grana is a firm, salty and strongly flavored cheese with just a hint of nuttiness while the Moscato is a crisp and effervescent sweet wine.  The bubbles cleanse the palate nicely after every bite of cheese, and the sweetness of the wine brings out the cheese’s nuttiness, with the cheese reciprocating by toning down the wine’s sweetness.  A truly surprising but delicious treat!

The second pairing is the Hyatt Riesling with the Serrano Jack.  This flavored Monterey Jack is a creamy, yet spicy cheese and the Riesling is vibrant and sweet.  By rule of thumb (without going into the science of it) a semi-sweet to sweet Riesling is ideal with spicy foods, and that rule certainly applies here.  The refreshing acidity offsets the cheese’s creamy texture while the wine’s sweetness soothes the palate after eating this hot cheese.  You can even lightly melt the cheese on a corn chip to add a little crunch to your snack!

The third pairing is my personal campfire favorite-even more so than a s’more!  It’s the Grant Burge 10 Year Tawny Port with the Foenugreek Gouda.  This cheese is a customer favorite and often described as being a great dessert cheese with maple syrup-y and butter toffee flavors.  The wine is a full-bodied, rich dessert wine with similar flavors, making it a heavenly match! 

My last pairing isn’t quite as “unique” as the others, but is probably something you’ve never tried before.  The next time you’re looking for something different for dessert, try the Brennan’s Cellar’s Cherry wine with the one and only Chocolate Cheese Fudge.  This cream-cheese based cheese is so wonderfully rich that it just begs for a little fruitiness to finish off the delectable chocolate flavor.  Like a chocolate covered cherry, but much better! 

So as summer gatherings approach, forget the beer and Cheddar and serve your guests something they’ll really remember!  Our wine and cheese selectors are readily awaiting your visit with these and many more suggestions!

Here is a picture of progress on our new store in Oconomowoc as of yesterday. Things are really moving along. It is starting to look like a Brennan’s! We still don’t have a set date for opening, but we will post it here as soon as we do.

Oconomowoc Store on 4/29/09

We’ve been getting a lot of emails and calls from people interested in learning more about the store and in potential employment. Thank you! We’re working on getting an employment tab on our site. For now, all Oconomowoc applications are being handled at our Brookfield store. Please fill out an application there or drop of your resume, and ask for Dennis.

That’s it for now. We’ll post more pictures soon…

I’m getting excited about the week after Mother’s Day. Why… well, first, I know I will be enjoying my new wonderful Mother’s Day gift. Big hint. Second, Parker Carlson from Carlson Vineyards in Colorado will be visiting all of our stores to sample his wine. Lucky for us, Parker and Mary love Wisconsin and come here every spring for a vacation. They kindly stop and visit us on the way to their fishing destination, probably a top secret spot.

When not vactioning in Wisconsin, Parker is known for his award-winning Riesling and tasty fruit wines, including Peach, Plum and Cherry. He will be reintroducing his Gewurztraminer after being abscent for a couple years and is introducing a new Sweet Gewurztraminer. He may even be telling a few fishing tales.

I hope that you can stop in and meet Parker and try his wine . Cheers!

With spring temperatures fluctuating between ”I’m wearin’ t-shorts and shorts warm” to “cuddle-me-at-night chilly” what’s a beer drinker to do?   Do I go light body or medium body?  I suggest both!   Brennan’s carries two Wisconsin-crafted microbrews exclusively bottled for Brennan’s.  In the light-bodied category we offer our Golden Pils.  This German-inspired beer gives the good name back to Pilsner due to the traditional hops and malts used.   Authentic flavor and carbonation give this beer all the thirst quenching characteristics I’m looking for after I’ve spent a couple hours raking, pruning or planting.  Perhaps you’ve just finished grooming your lawn, now pour yourself a Golden Pils and savor the authentic flavor that the world-wide mass producers miss by cutting corners. 

Having friends over for a night on the deck grilling?  Got the beer for you!  A medium-bodied, malty delight.  This beer is the deal to match up those caramelized sugars you created while grillin’ those steaks, pork chops or veggies.  This is my “comfortable” beer to go to when I want a smooth beverage that relaxes me and my friends allowing for an evening of reminiscing and laughter.  

Mix and match a 6-pack or buy a 6-pk of each (nobody has ever regretted that decision), and get a free Brennan’s beer glass. 

Cheers,

Chris