New Year, New Wines, and a renewed focus on Wine Blogging!

Greetings Everyone, and Happy New Year! Yes, we know it’s the 19th, but late is always better than never, right?

We are proud to announce that the Savvy Cellar Wine Bar in Mountain View has been re-converted from an animal shelter back into the wine bar you all know and love! The cats and dogs were barking and meowing nonstop, and our Sommeliers couldn’t take it anymore. We sent the whole lot off for adoption, and we’re happy to report that the shop is now stocked with bottles and bottles of good wine – not kennels and catnip!

Whether you’re looking for a crisp, aromatic white or a full bodied red, we’ve got you covered! Heck, we’ve even got full bodied whites and light reds! No matter what you’re in the mood for – there’s never been a better time to stop by the cellar and have a glass!

Be on the lookout for plenty of new content over the next few weeks! We’ve got a dedicated blogger on-the-job (Hey, that’s me!), and we’re excited to share interesting tidbits from the world of wine with you all!

Cheers!

Savvy Cellar To Close

Savvy Cellar Set To Close Its Doors

Most Popular Wine Bar in San Francisco Bay Area to Become an Animal Center  

Savvy Cellar Wine Bar & Wine Shop, a fixture on the San Francisco Bay Peninsula for the past six and a half years, the last two years in Downtown Mountain View has decided to shut its doors.

Savvy Cellar Founder & Owner, Jennifer Ayre, indicated “launching and building this wine bar and wine shop was a childhood dream and became a lifelong passion of mine.  Deciding to cease operations was not an easy decision.  We hope all of our countless loyal customers will understand.”

Savvy Cellar Theme Song

Sometimes employees shock you (for the better). This occurred yesterday when our long-time server Winston Jones sent me the following song he composed: Savvy Cellar Theme Song

“Savvy Cellar is the place I want to be
Savvy Cellar is the place I want to be

40 glasses of wine from which to choose
I said 40 from which to choose
And you know
that’s good news
that’s good news
that’s good news

Savvy Cellar chillin’ on the patio

40 glasses of wine from which to choose
I said 40 from which to choose
And you know that’s good news,
that’s good news
that’s good news

Savvy Cellar chillin’ on the patio
I love you Savvy
I love you Savvy
You’re the place to go
Savvy Cellar

Savvy Cellar
is the place I want to be
Savvy Cellar
is the place I want to be
Savvy Cellar
is the place I want to be.”

It’s bound to go viral and I’m sure Mr. Jones will be up for a Grammy!

Wines for the 4th of July

As I get prepped for the 4th of July weekend my mind shifts to what to bring to the Independence Day pool party we are attending.  As the “Savvy Sommelier” the expectation is that I will bring something interesting, appropriate for the occasion and yummy (of course).  Pressure is on.  What would Washington (or more appropriately Jefferson) do?

Well my first thought is that of symbolism.  The 4th is all about celebration marked by fireworks and explosions.  So, why not Sparkling Wine?  It too is a emblematic of great and very special celebrations, despite my push for it to be an everyday wine!  And its opening can be quite festive and explosive!  Be patriotic and buy an American Sparkling Wine.

Next my mind wanders to that of color, weather and food.  Rosé is the prettiest shade of red (as in red, white and blue) going.  It is best served very chilled – perfect for a scorching hot day.  And it goes great with most BBQ foods.  Our 4th will definitely feature a dry Rosé.  Despite the French lineage on the most American of holidays (heck, we are all immigrants anyway), looks like I’ll be serving Domaine de Noiré Chinon Rosé.

Best Pinot Noir Regions in the World

I, like many others, am very passionate about Pinot Noir.  As I pull together the curriculum for the upcoming class I’m teaching “Pinot Noir: A Wine of Passion” at Savvy Cellar Wines in Mountain View on Monday June 6th, I starting to think about what was at the source of my passion for this varietal.

Pinot Noir is widely considered to produce some of the finest wines in the world.  But, because it can be difficult variety to cultivate and transform into wine, it demands the most from its wine makers.  In fact, André Tchelistcheff, perhaps the dean of post-prohibition American wine makers, once declared that “God made Cabernet Sauvignon whereas the devil made Pinot Noir.”

Dessert Time . . . Sometimes It’s Not About The Wine

While many sweet wines (e.g. Port, Madeira, Ice Wine, Late Harvest Riesling) can represent a dessert course on their own, there are times my sweet tooth craves for something more.

Read on if you want some hints for the current contest on “Know The Savvy Sommelier” iPad app.

Let’s start with “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream.”  Ice Cream has much fat (at least the best kind) and because it is frozen it can numb your palate. This can make pairing a wine with ice cream a bit of a challenge.  So don’t bother!  Or if you must, try a Pedro Ximinez Sherry. You can either sip it or pour it on top of your ice cream dessert!

Why I Love French Wine Varietals

As I kicked off the second contest for the recently launched iPad app “Know the Savvy Sommelier” on my favorite French wine varietals, it got me thinking as to what makes French wines so unique.

Some interesting stats on the French wine industry I pulled together for the upcoming Wines of France class I’m teaching on Monday March 7th at Savvy Cellar Wines in Mountain View, CA:

• France ranks first in world-wide wine production (above all other countries)
• They have the second most acres under vine (second to Spain) and account for 11% of all vineyards in the world
• France is the second highest exporter of wine (behind Italy)
• France ranks second in worldwide wine consumption (per capita consumption is 53.8 litres per year)

All this from a country that is roughly the size of Texas!

New iPad App Launched | Know the Savvy Sommelier

Late last year my husband and Savvy Cellar co-owner was approached by the Innovations Games Company.  They wanted to build a working prototype of what they envisioned as a “white-label, celebrity contest app” based on what they had learned from their Knowsy Knows iPad app.  Problem was they didn’t know any celebrities.  So they asked if I was interested in lending my persona and expertise.

The Making of a Wine Bar Menu

Customers often have questions about how and why we select the wines we do at Savvy Cellar Wine Bar & Wine Shop in Mountain View, CA.  Many envision the life of a wine merchant as very exotic, full of traveling the world, visiting vineyards, chatting with winemakers and deciding which wines to showcase in the wine bar and wine shop based purely on one’s own personal palate.  Well, not to burst anyone’s bubble . . . but it doesn’t work like that.

Best Organic Wines of 2010

Well, the clock may have struck a New Year but I have some business in closing out 2010.  It is an exciting time for the green movement, environmental consciousness and one filled with some hope for charting a more sustainable path forward amidst very challenging economic times.  Given this I wanted to give mad props to the wines and wineries that recently were voted as the best organic wines of 2010 by the readers and fans of Organic Wine Review.