Notes From The Wine & Spirits Wholesalers Of America Meeting ...

ore fruit flavors are coming your way. Just in time for summer tastes are strawberries, blueberries, pears, forestberries, and more.

Keglevich has five natural flavor liqueurs imported from Italy, with added Keglevich vodka made from Po Valley grains. In addition to Lemon, Peach, and Melon, they now have Forestberries and Strawberry. A delicious and refreshing summer drink is the Forestberries Splashlevich (or just call it Forest Splash).

 Forestberries Splashlevich
Pour 2 ounces Keglevich Forestberries liqueur into a wine glass, add a splash of Champagne, and top with club soda.

Stoli added Blueberi to its popular line of flavors last year, and it is quickly gaining a loyal following. Here are a couple of drink ideas.

 Stoli Beri Cheesecake
1 ounce Stoli Blueberi, 1 ounce Stoli Vanil, and a splash of heavy cream. Shake well with ice, strain into a martini glass, and add three blueberries.
 Stoli Black & Blue
2 ounces Stoli Blueberi, 1 ounce Chambord, 1 ounce Blue Curacao, and a splash of cranberry juice. Shake well with ice, strain into a martini glass, and add three blueberries.

Try DeKuyper Pucker Strawberry Passion Schnapps. Just the name has you salivating.

 Red Roxy
2 ounces Absolut Apeach, 1 ounce DeKuyper Strawberry Passion Schnapps, and 1 ounce DeKuyper Peachtree Schnapps. Shake well with ice and strain.

Absolut introduced Pears, its latest fruit flavor. A cocktail sure to please a good many of your guests is Absolut Chocolate Pears.

 Absolut Chocolate Pears
1 ounce Absolut Pears, 1 ounce chocolate liqueur, 1 ounce fresh cream, and a splash of hazelnut liqueur. Shake well with ice, strain into a pre-iced martini glass, and sprinkle some grated chocolate on top.

Malibu Tropical Banana, Kahlua Hazelnut, and Kahlua French Vanilla provide opportunities to jazz up classic cocktails such as the Daiquiri, the Mudslide, and the Black Russian.

DIFFERENT SCOTCH MALTS
Wild Scotsman is a 15-year vatted Scotch malt containing no more than 10 separate casks of which there is at least one cask from each of five regions.

John McDougall’s Selection Single Cask Bladnoch is from the Lowlands of Scotland and is aged 15 years.

Neither of these malts has been chill-filtered, preserving the natural fatty acids and esters. These are smooth, lush whiskies with a long finish. Look for them when they show up in your state. Check their website at www.wildscotsman.com

NEW WINES
“Canti Prosecco Marca Trevigiana IGT is a rare classic frizzante that is excellent for accompanying every course in a meal,” says Jean-Paul Benizri, VP of U.S. operations. “As an aperitif, with an entrée and with dessert, this Prosecco refreshes the palate and sharpens the appreciation of the foods it is paired with.”

Here’s a twist on bread and wine. The Restivo family took a small bakery and transformed it into New York’s premier Italian bread supplier. In 1998, they formed Biagio Cru and Estate Wines. “Our goal was, and remains, to deliver quality, affordable wines in superior packages at great prices,” says Dr. Vincent Restivo, co-founder (with his brother Louis and their sons Ben and Darren). They look for quality wine producers around the world with strong family identities. One such winery is owned by the Castellani family, respected Tuscan winemakers for over 100 years. Taste their magnificent Castellani Brunello di Montalcino 2001, produced by winemaker Piergeorgio Castellani.

South Africa’s Boschendal Winery was founded in 1685. After the phylloxera plague of 1896, it was purchased and rebuilt by Cecil John Rhodes. Situated in the Groot Drakenstein Valley, this terroir is excellent for producing high-quality grapes of a broad range of varietals, including Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec.

Winemaker James Farquharson produces elegant and accessible wines. Of particular note are 1685 Chardonnay/Pinot Noir, a 50-50 blend of grapes grown on cool mountain slopes with deep gravel soils; Cecil John Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, hand-harvested and left on the primary lees for a minimum of five months, in stainless steel tanks; Cecil John Reserve Shiraz, handpicked grapes from a 12-year-old vineyard on stony, well-drained granite soils, with all leaves removed before crushing. The wine is only roughly filtered.

“I aim for crisp fruit-forward wines that can be savored alone or with food,” says Farquharson. These are excellent wines that deserve a look for your event business as well as table service.

Dave Steadman is editor and associate publisher, Hotel Wine, Beer & Spirits.