Mills Fine Wine & Spirits

John Glasgow and Aaron Burke performing at the first “Hops and Harmonics” at Mills Fine Wine and Spirits. We opened a variety pack of Smuttynose – the IPA was decent and the Robust Porter and the Brown Dog Brown Ale were both really nice.

The music was good too – John and Aaron jammed and improvised – sketching out musical ideas while customers tasted the brews. It was a fun event and definitely something new that we’ll be pursuing at Mills.

Uncategorized Beers, Tastings and Events

I recently spent some time in the San Francisco Bay Area with my family.  While I didn’t make it out to the wine country, I satisfied the beer geek in myself and managed to track down a lot of fantastic beers that unfortunately, for one reason or another, don’t make it out to Maryland, or the East Coast at all in some cases.

While you can’t grow grapes everywhere, good beer can be made just about anywhere in the world.  Small-scale craft breweries dot the landscape and limited production and distribution have created a huge demand all over the country for the best and the rarest.

I had the opportunity to hang out at The City Beer Store in the South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco.  The City Beer Store is a tiny storefront where you can not only purchase some of the most prized beers on the horizon, you can also settle in at one of the tables and enjoy either beers from the cooler or one of the draught selections.

In downtown Santa Rosa (in the heart of Sonoma County) you’ll find the Russian River Brewing Company.  They make an intense and vivid India Pale Ale called “Pliny the Elder”.  “Pliny” is currently #6 on the Beer Advocate’s Top 100 Beers list and is usually in the top ten of all of those “Beers to try before you die” lists.  The City Beer Store had plenty on the shelves, but one of my favorite beers that I tasted during my two visits to “City Beer” was called “The Maharaja” – a double IPA brewed by Avery Brewing Company in Denver, Colorado.

A double IPA is a souped-up version of an IPA – more hops, more malt, and a much higher ABV%.  They’re big and bold and bitter – with massive layers of complex flavors – and rich, decadent mouthfeel.

“The Maharaja” was fiercely intense, but with a backbone of sweet and rich malt that balanced the big hoppy notes of grapefruit and pine.  But it also had great spicey naunces that reminded me of cardamom and clove.  My wife happened to put together a brilliant curry dish that I knew would be a perfect match for it’s balance of sweet and spice.

It was glorious.  The creamy sauce went well with the bright carbonation and deep flavors.  I didn’t want my bowl to empty.  The bracing 10% abv kept me in check and the 22 oz bottle was enough to share with my wife.  And the best part is, “The Maharaja” is available not only in Maryland, but it is now available at Mills!

As you know, Mills features the best Wine and Spirits selection in town,  so I’m glad to introduce some of the finest American craft beers and Imports available to us and to change people’s perceptions about beer.  Like wine, there are myriad styles far and away from just light or dark, like red or white.  While there’s nothing better than sucking down some cold suds at the ballgame,  a bomber or a 750ml of a gorgeous Belgian ale or IPA or Stout or Saison with dinner is also one of life’s great pleasures.  Enjoy!

Chicken Tikka Masala Curry

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
plain yogurt
2-3 peeled, whole tomatoes, diced
1 large, white onion, diced
4-5 cloves of garlic, diced
1 2” piece of fresh ginger, minced or grated
cumin, chile powder, coriander, cayenne, turmeric (about a tablespoon of each for the marinade and the sauce)
garam masala (Indian spice blend) (about a tablespoon for the marinade and the sauce)
2 – 3 peeled and diced tomatoes
fresh cilantro (optional)

Marinate chicken breasts in a blend of yogurt and spices. Marinate for 6 – 8 hours (overnight). Grill or oven bake chicken until just slightly done. Cover or wrap in foil and let cool.

In a heavy bottom saucepan heat up 2 tablespoons of oil (or ghee – clarified butter used in a lot of Indian cooking) and cook onion, minced garlic and ginger over medium heat. When onions are translucent, add spices and stir until well-mixed.
Add tomatoes. Cook until thickened, stirring occasionally. Let cool and transfer to a blender or use a submersible mixer to blend the sauce until smooth. Return to the saucepan and bring up to a simmer.

Cut the chicken breasts into 1-2″ cubes and simmer in sauce for about 10 – 15 minutes. Finish with a dollop of yogurt stirred into the sauce. Serve with basmati rice or your favorite Indian bread and garnish with fresh cilantro.

I recently spent some time in the San Francisco Bay Area with my family.  While I
didn't make it out to the wine country, I satisfied the beer geek in myself and
managed to track down a lot of fantastic beers that unfortunately, for one reason or another, don't make it out to Maryland, or the East Coast at all in some cases.

While you can't grow grapes everywhere, good beer can be made just about anywhere in the world.  Small-scale craft breweries dot the landscape and limited production and distribution have created a huge demand all over the country.  

I had the opportunity to hang out at The City Beer Store in the South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco.  The City Beer Store is a tiny storefront where you can not only purchase some of the most prized beers on the horizon, you can also settle in at one of the tables and enjoy either beers from the cooler or one of the draught selections.  

In downtown Santa Rosa (in the heart of Sonoma County) you'll find the Russian River Brewing Company.  They make an intense and vivid India Pale Ale called “Pliny the Elder”.  “Pliny” is currently #6 on the Beer Advocate's Top 100 Beers list and is usually in the top ten of all of those “Beers to try before you die” lists.  The City Beer Store had plenty on the shelves, but one of my favorite beers that I tasted during my two visits to “City Beer” was called “The Maharaja” - a double IPA brewed by Avery Brewing Company in Denver, Colorado.

A double IPA is a souped-up version of an IPA – more hops, more malt, and a much higher ABV%.  They're big and bold and bitter – with massive layers of complex flavors – and rich, decadent mouthfeel.  

“The Maharaja” was fiercely intense, but with a backbone of sweet and rich malt that balanced the big hoppy notes of grapefruit and pine.  But it also had great spicey naunces that reminded me of cardamom and clove.  My wife happened to put together a brilliant curry dish that I knew would be a perfect match for it's balance of sweet and spice.

It was glorious.  The creamy sauce went well with the bright carbonation and deep flavors.  I didn't want my bowl to empty.  The bracing 10% abv kept me in check and the 22 oz bottle was enough to share with my wife.

While Mills features the best Wine and Spirits selection in town, I'm glad to introduce some of the finest American craft beers available to us and to change people's perceptions about beer. Like wine, there are myriad styles far and away from just light or dark, like red or white.

Ben Avery, Beer, Double IPA, IPA, Recipes

My first encounter with cooking rabbit was almost an accident.  I was a commis (an unpaid culinary hopeful who is, in turn, worked like a used mule) in the kitchen of a student-run restaurant.  One day we were especially slow and everyone else had been assigned a station.  I asked the Chef what needed to be done.  He pointed at a mass of fresh rabbits on a work table; “Do something with those rabbits.”

While a slew of Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam gags ran through my head, I couldn’t think of one single recipe. We were forbade cookbooks in the kitchen, as we had to rely on our own skills and creativity.

In a large, wide braising pan, I threw in a couple chopped onions, some green pepper, black peppercorns, bay leaf, juniper berries, cardomom, and half a smuggled can of beer.  I quartered the rabbit and let it all braise and simmer, covered with foil, for a couple hours.  The end result was delicious, meat just falling off the bone, tender as anything with a rich and savory sauce.

Rabbit is very lean and flavorful and wonderfully versatile in the kitchen.  If only they weren’t so darn cute!

Rabbit was a fairly common Sunday dinner when my father was a boy, and is slowly gaining new popularity amongst food bloggers and fans of inspired culinaria.

Rabbit has a very subtle flavor, similar to chicken, but it also serves as a wonderful canvas to infuse and create flavors.  I learned a very old French recipe for Lapin à la Vanille – rabbit with vanilla – which sounds odd, but actually brings out a delectable smoky sweetness in the meat.

Since we’re featuring some brilliant Sicilian wines in the shop right now, here is a recipe for Rabbit Cacciatore – and yes, you can use chicken.

Rabbit Cacciatore/ Sicilian Braised Rabbit

1 whole rabbit, quartered
1 of each; red, yellow, and green peppers, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4-5 cloves of garlic, diced
1 large can, chopped tomatoes (or 4-5 good-sized fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped)
2 cups chicken stock (or rabbit stock if you’re a pro)
1/2 cup dry red wine
oregano
salt & pepper
flour

Season rabbit with salt and pepper and dredge in flour.  Heat olive oil in a thick-bottomed pan and brown rabbit pieces evenly.  Remove rabbit from pan and add onions and peppers.  Cook peppers and onions until soft, return rabbit back to the pan and add garlic, tomatoes, wine, and stock.  Bring to a boil for a couple minutes and then bring to a slow simmer for about an hour, covered, over low heat.

Add oregano or other fresh Italian herbs and serve with hot pasta and a bottle of Isola D’Oro Syrah or the lovely Rapitala Nero D’Avola – both on sale now for $9.99 a bottle.

Ben Ben, Nero D'Avola, Rabbits, Sicily, Syrah

Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o’ the puddin-race!
Aboon them a’ ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy o’ a grace
As lang’s my arm.

Just in time for the traditional January 25th Robert Burns Supper, a 21-year old ban on Scottish Haggis imports has been lifted!

For the past two decades, Americans of Scottish descent ‑ of whom there are at least 6 million ‑ have been forced to celebrate Burns’ night without a true haggis, much to their distress.
There are stories of Scots smuggling in a haggis for their starving cousins, risking deportation in the process. Others are said to have secretly tried to create homemade, bootleg haggis, desperate to sample that particularly peppery concoction.
Meanwhile, butchers in the US have tried, and failed, to make their own versions of the pudding without using the vital ingredient: sheep. “It was a silly ban which meant a lot of people have never tasted the real thing,” said Margaret Frost, of the Scottish American Society in Ohio. “We have had to put up with the US version, which is made from beef and is bloody awful.”

You can read the entire article here.

That’s all well and sonsie, but what the hell is Haggis really?

Haggis is essentially sheep’s offal; the lungs, heart, and liver – minced with spices, mixed with oatmeal or breadcrumbs as a binder, stuffed into a sheep’s stomach and boiled in stock.  It’s traditionally served with tatties (potatoes) and neeps (turnips) and lashed with black pepper.  It tastes, well, it tastes a bit like how you would expect.

In culinary school, I stumbled upon nothing short of a black market Haggis-making operation.  In a tiny kitchen in the school’s cellar, a handful of chef instructors and advanced students were making a dozen illicit haggis for a Burns supper with the school brass.  I blew off the rest of the day’s classes and joined in, mixing a confidential spice blend into the raw, gamy meat with my hands, trying desperately not to tear the stomach as we filled it up with the mixture.

Late that night, along with copious drams of Highland Park, I had my first taste of Haggis.  It tasted of blood, meat and pepper.  Men in kilts gave toasts and speeches long into the night.  For skipping class to take part in the supper, I was docked a day’s points, but my instructor gave me a half-finished bottle of 18 year old Highland Park to take with me on the long train ride home.  It was as much a thank you as it was an initiation.

“And there is a hand, my trusty friend!
And give me a hand of yours!
And we will take a right good-will drink,
For old long past.”

If you don’t have any sheep offal laying around, you can make a pretty tasty vegetarian variation.  I’ve made this a couple times at home, it’s easy and makes a great wintertime supper.  You can find a great recipe here.

Ben Haggis, Offal, Robert Burns, Sheep

It wasn’t until I moved to Maryland that I made the acquaintance of real beer geeks. Like the most serious wine collectors, these guys search high and low for the rarest of the rare, the most micro of the micro brew, the scarcest of the imports. At a shop I worked at prior to Mills, I would get strange phone calls asking about the arrival of certain seasonal beers. The following day a group of young men sat in their cars outside the shop until the beer truck came for our delivery. They lined up at the register and bought every case of beer off the truck.

It’s hard to find the right soil and climate for making good wines, but good beer can be made just about anywhere. Because of small batch productions and lack of distribution in different parts of the country, networks of underground beer traders have been formed on the internet. People buying their local favorites to trade with others and then posting photos and tasting notes of their trades online.

Some of the most highly-sought after beers are fairly hard to come by in the state of Maryland. However, we’ve managed to put together a pretty solid beer collection that will no doubt please the hardcore beer geek as well as the every day folks who just want to suck some tasty suds.

Here are a few you might want to try;

Ommegang Brewery Biere de Mars, Cooperstown, New York
(rate beer 96 points)
Ommegang Biere de Mars is a fine Belgian-style amber ale with a bit of magical space dust woven in: Brettanomyces Bruxellensis, a wild yeast which imparts added tartness, extra zing, and a touch of funk – while dry hopping enhances the hop aroma.

Stone Brewery Russian Imperial Stout, Escondido, California
(Beer Advocate “outstanding”)
One of the finest American-made Imperial Stouts. Thick and rich aromas and flavors of roasted malt, coffee and chocolate but still retains a hoppy bitterness on the finish. A fantastic beer for winter.

Jolly Pumpkin “Noel de Calabaza”, Dexter, Michigan
(rate beer 96 points)
Jolly Pumpkin is very hard to come by, but we were lucky enough to get a case of their Christmas beer. Even though Christmas has come and gone, it’s a perfect time to enjoy this dark and oh so rich ale. (or stash some away in the cellar!) Woodsy and smokey with hints of black currant, raisin, and cherry. It’s aged in oak barrels, so it has a lot of nice toasty oak on the finish. Delightfully different and delicious.

Deus Brut de Flandres
(Beer Advocate “Excellent”)
Brewed in Flanders and then sent to France where it is polished into a bright and brilliant Champagne-styled beer. Bloomy aromas of spice, hops and apple and creamy layers of fruit. An exquisite and rare treat.

Ben, Uncategorized

“Where is this from again?” The lady asks, eyeing the bottle as I pour.

“Fitou!” I say.

“Where is that?” Comes the question.

The simple answer is that Fitou is in the Languedoc – the sprawling lands in the Southwest corner of France that produce a staggering number of wines of varying styles and quality. A lot  of them, like Fitou, are uncomplicated, rustic reds. Grown to accompany winter stews and Sunday suppers.

Just 20 miles from Spain, Fitou is a mountainous appellation that is surrounded by the better-known Corbieres.  Some wine books dismiss the wines of Fitou as “unremarkable”, but our Fitou from Domaine de Rolland is a rustic and spicy blend of Syrah and Grenache. I was really taken by it’s peppery Syrah spice and it’s perfumey and heady aromas. A lot of our customers were quite taken by it also.

So when you’re looking for a food -friendly and inexpensive red, as well as the satisfaction of bringing something new to the table, look for Fitou.

Domaine de Rolland Fitou 2006 – $13.99

Uncategorized

The Judgement of Paris is a tale from Greek Mythology. Peleus and Thetis were married, and all the Gods and Goddesses were invited except for Eris – the Goddess of Discord. Eris was so miffed at this snub that she showed up anyway, got drunk on Retsina and left behind a gift – a Golden Apple that she dedicated to “the fairest”. The goddesses Aphrodite, Hera and Athena all demanded the apple for themselves and good ol’ Zeus let the poor mortal Paris decide who got the apple. Not an easy decision for anyone to make and it ultimately lead to the Trojan War.

Oh…wait a minute…we’re talking about a different Judgement of Paris.

The Judgment of Paris Revisited

When asked to choose his holiday picks this year, Rick decided on an unusual concept. His idea? To revisit the famous “Judgment of Paris” from 1976, where California wines decidedly beat their French counterparts changing the wine world forever. We are offering two wines, one Californian and one French and let you decide the winner for yourself.

The first is Chateau Montelena’s 2000 “Estate” Cabernet Sauvignon. The French wine is the 2000 Sociando Mallet from the Haut Medoc. The two bottle set is only $129.99. (Regularly both wines together would be $169.99)

Uncategorized

Saturday afternoon we hosted another Burgundy tasting here at the shop. Nancy Priest (Frederick Wildman) and Christopher Snead (Frederick P. Winner) were once again on hand to guide us through Mill’s pre-arrival offering of the wines of Nicholas Potel.

Nicolas Potel ascends the castle steps...

Nicolas Potel is a young and dynamic vinificateur, who has made a name for himself since 1998. Many growers sell only to Nicolas and he works closely with them during the growing season. He’s not just another negociant coming to call at the harvest.

“This producer is not just one of the best négociants, it is one of the best producers in Burgundy and certainly better than some hard to find and even harder to pay for ‘big names’. Benchmark wines can be found in this cellar.”
-Burgundy-Report.com

Once again, I came to the tasting armed with a notebook, another round of my pate’ – this time laced with white truffles – and my lucky tasting glass. I was ready for action and action I found. Here are a few of my notes from the tasting;

Nicolas Potel Bourgogne Rouge “Cuvee Gerard Potel” 2007
I actually was introduced to this wine at our Wine Find, and it showed equally as well on Saturday afternoon – A bright and heady ruby-colored wine.  Presently on sale for $19.99 (regularly $24.99) Like Stephen Tanzer put it so succinctly in his write-up of the 2007 Cuvee Gerard, “If I were a lab rat in a cage, I would suck this stuff out of a water bottle until I drowned…”

Nicolas Potel Cote de Nuits Villages 2005
Classic nose of slightly sour cherry and cranberry. When this was first opened, it was tight and tough with big, gripping tannins, but as I predicted, the last glass in the bottle purred like a kitten.

Nicolas Potel Morey St. Denis 2005
Some earthy funk opens up to reveal a bloomy nose of sweet tobacco and spice. Enormous structure – built like a tank but elegant as hell. Bright sweet cherry fruit and a long and fantastical finish.

Pommard “Les Fremiers” 2005
Beautiful aromas and flavors of red cherry, rosemary, and a trace of anise. Very “classical” in style, but with a loads of loads of lush fruit and verve.

Clos St. Denis 2006
With a nose of sweet woodsmoke, this was a perfect wine for the slushy and cold weekend we had. Very rustic and robust, but with an undercurrent of sweet and sexy fruit.

Clos de la Roche 2006
My notes were a little scattered and wine-stained by this point, but my impressions of this Clos de la Roche were like a disjointed haiku -
Black tea, black truffles
roses and blackberries
blue flowers in rich black soil
I won’t try and make much more sense out of that. But wow, a rich and huge wine. Tightly wound up, this will definitely evolve into something truly special. Hopefully I’ll be able to try it then and write more coherent poetry.

To inquire about purchasing these wines, please give us a call!
(800) 261.WINE

Postscript;

Once again I made a chicken liver pate’ – thanks for your kind words about it. The difference this time around was the addition of White Truffles…

Uncategorized

The cold winter nights to come call for the most comforting and warming of meals with rich, hearty red wines. After left-over turkey, we were ready for something different.

This past week I found a great deal on a lamb loin roast. After trimming the excess fat, I slathered the roast with pureed garlic, olive oil, rosemary and thyme. I roasted it at 400 degrees with some carrots and onions and it was wonderful. Like springtime in Provence, but Autumn in Maryland.

What was really great about this dish, was that it worked so well with so many wines! We had it with a 1999 Bettinelli Merlot from Napa (on sale 16.99, regular price 24.99) and those juicy berry and mint flavors were perfect with the tender herb infused lamb. Merlot is still getting a bad rap, but this one – still luscious and ripe after ten years – is fantastic.

Usually with lamb, I’m thinking about the Rhone valley or Provence. The 2004 Domaine de Charvin Chateauneuf du Papes (on sale 34.49 regular price 68.99) was a natural. Lamb with those spicy and herbaceous flavors from the southern Rhone are always a win.

(We have a magnum of Domaine Tempier Bandol 2005 ($101.99) that just cries out for a midwinter saddle of lamb supper, as well as the Domaine la Soumade Rasteau 2001 ($84.99) which we have a few bottles left of. )

Lamb is versitale and deserves much more than funky mint jelly. From tandoors to tagines, what are your favorite lamb dishes?

Ben

From the Archives of The Onion, August 21, 2002;

Wine Appreciation Tips

Good for a laugh.

Ben Humor, Wine