Cheers 901

wine, spirits, and all things Memphis

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Elvis Week may be different this year, but it doesn’t mean you can’t pay homage to one of the most iconic Elvis films with your cocktail game!

Swipe to channel the spirit of the 1961 film Blue Hawaii!

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Here’s to making it through Week 32 of 2020, Memphis!

Though it may feel like this year has been closer to 320,000 weeks long, sometimes you gotta celebrate the small stuff…. Like finding a new smooth bourbon that rocks your taste buds!

Cue up Hunter & Scott from @reservoirdistillery!  This is an everyday sipper –whether that means you’re sipping this on the rocks on your back porch or mixing it up in a cocktail! Hunter & Scott is smooth, balanced and versatile with a mash bill of 75:20:5 (Corn to wheat to rye) that’s all locally grown in this spirit’s home state of Virginia within 40 miles of the main distillery in Richmond.

On the nose you’ll find hints of vanilla with hints of tea, pitted fruit, & tobacco. Taste wise you’ll find candied cinnamon, toasted oak, and butterscotch flavors that dance across your palate. BUT THIS FINISH THOUGH!  You’ll find a balanced finish, but there’s this extraordinary rye kick and long wheat tail that has you ready to kick back another sip.

And after the year we’ve all been having… Memphis you deserve something this fancy that’s nice on your pocketbook.

Want to grab a bottle to enjoy for the weekend? Send us a message and we’ll be happy to connect you to a local spirit retailer near your side of town!

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Aw Shuck it! Its National Oyster Day

A classic food & wine pair is Oysters and Chablis. Crisp, clean white wines are a classic way to bring out the subtle complexity of freshly shucked oysters and what Chablis does best is that it plays off of the minerality and marine notes!

Because we’re already treating ourselves to Fresh Oysters, we opted to treat ourselves to a glass of a 2017 Chablis from Domaine Jean-Claude Courtault (@banvillewine).  This is a delicate Chablis that is full of yellow fruity aromas and provides good structure and balance. The minerality expressed through note of gunflint reveals the influence the terroir had on this vintage. Grown on South/Southwestern facing slopes on Kimmeridigan limestone, this vintage really soaked of the nutrients of the ancient oyster fossil beds found in this region of Burgundy. This wine also took home a 91-point score from Wine & Spirits Magazine.

Want to try this one for yourself in Memphis? Send us a message and we’ll be happy to connect you to a local wine retailer!  

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Why is white wine the wine choice of quarantine? Because its usually fermented without skin contact!

White wine’s grapes are pressed off the skins, and then its juices are collected in a vat to be fermented into wine at a cooler temperature to preserve the fresh flavors found in the grapes.

Ranging in color from pale straw to deep gold, this category of wine holds over 40 different wine varietals! Whether you’re toasting this National Holiday with a glass of Albariño from Northwest Spain or sipping a bold, sweet Maderia.

What white wine are you enjoying today, Memphis?

Need a recommendation? Send us a message! We’ll be happy to make a suggestion!

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Got the pick of the patch today at Happy Hour.

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Japanese Sake has been written and reviewed since around 1046 B.C. If you thought Amazon’s Mystical Unicorn Shirt reviews were a page turner- you should really read through the mythical and historical reviews out there on this Japanese alcoholic beverage. Sake is primarily made from rice and water. It often will resemble white wine in appearance but will have a slightly higher alcohol content than most wines you find. (Sakes range from 13-17% ABV) Sake also has a signature taste called Umami which roughly translates to savoriness. Depending on which type of Sake you’re enjoying you can find aromas of fruit, spice, nuts, butter, or honey. It can be enjoyed room temperature, cold, or warm (HUGE fan of Warm Sake Here!), but sake can also be fun to use a cocktail base to really elevate your Happy Hour. There’s nothing better than warm sake when we’re knee deep in yet another Ice Storm Warning. But since we’re at the tail end of Summer, a Frozen Sake from @stix901 hit the spot pretty nice! Cheers, Memphis! Test your Sake knowledge on our Story Today! Don’t forget to include to go cocktails with take out/delivery from your favorite local spots! Support local businesses how you can when you can!....

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There are times when you wing it and there’s times when you pair it!

When #NationalChickenWingDay falls on #WineDownWednesday, you get to combine the best of both worlds! In Memphis, we get the bragging rights that the World Championship Hot Wing Contest & Festival calls our city home. And we’re not professional hot wing connoisseurs (you can check out the internet’s resident #SpiceLord Sean Evans from @firstwefeast for that service) ; we’ll stick to beverages thank you very much! Which is why we’re glad to share knowledge on how to pair wine to hot wings! Yes.. there’s a wine out there that can go sip for sip with whatever your hot wings of choice is!

Chicken is generally a flexible protein, so our pairing focus here is focused strictly on the toppings/sauce.  

Memphis Based BBQ Sauce- Go for a Zinfandel! Zins have bold ripe blueberry, black cherry, and blackberry notes that will match with the sweetness found in BBQ sauces- no matter what secret ingredient you add in!

Spicy/Buffalo Sauces- If you’re bringing the heat on your wings, go for something off dry that has just a touch of sweetness and lower alcohol so while you’re melting your taste buds with flavor, you’re not literally burning them off your palate. Alcohol increased the perception of spicy heat, so wines like off-dry Riesling or Vinho Verde will also match the acidity of the vinegar in the sauce.

If you’re a chicken wing purest and love a naked wing—bring on the bubbles! Sparkling wines & champagne LOVE fried food and your palate will love you too for such a mind blowing pairing.

Now for the real question Memphis, who did you order wings to go from tonight? Let us know in the comments!

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Rise & Grind, Memphis!

What’s your favorite way to incorporate Coffee into your cocktail game? Let us know in the comments!

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(Un)screw it!

Screw cap wines have had a bad reputation since they’ve arrived on the wine scene in the late 50s. Usually the words thrown out on Wine Commentary Boards from the period were cheap, low value, bulk wine. And you know what…. Affordability never hurt anybody! Because screw cap wines actually have the ability that their corked counterparts do not: the ability to reseal!

A screw cap and a Cork exist to not only keep wine in the bottle, but to ask keep Oxygen out! When you don’t finish a bottle of wine, a Screw Cap is more likely to keep your wine enjoyable for longer than its uncorked counterparts. This is because a screw cap can close off a seal more effectively than a replaced cork can!  Leaving your wine crisp & well-preserved.

Added bonus of screw caps is that you can get to your wine 10 seconds faster. One twist of the wrist and you’re ready to enjoy. You also don’t have to worry about any broken cork bits accidentally finding their way inside your wine (it happens to all of us at some point….)

A recent screw capped wine we’ve enjoyed is Chasing Venus Sauvignon Blanc from @matchbookwines! This Marlborough wine is a Sauv Blanc that’s been grown with Summer Sipping in mind. Its bright, vibrant, and just plan refreshing. In the event you don’t finish the whole bottle, the screw cap comes in handy for keeping the crispness of this Sauv Blanc in tact! AND it scored 91 points with The Tasting Panel’s July/August Issue!.

Try it for yourself and see the Good Side of Screw Cap Wines!

Want to find Chasing Venus for yourself in Memphis? Send us a message and we’ll connect you to a local wine retailer!

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If you wanna be able to do picture 1, you gotta be like picture 2. Support your local businesses and fellow Memphians by ordering food and to go cocktails, wear your mask, wash your hands, and keep your distance!.  That way we can get back to gathering at the bar for Happy Hour!!

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Wine & Cheese. Name a Better Duo.

It’s #NationalWineandCheeseDay!  Swipe to see a few of our go to pairings.

Tell us your favorite wine & cheese pairing in the comments! If you’re celebrating, be sure to send us pictures of your Charcuterie Spread to be featured on our story today!

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What’s in a name?”—Shakespeare Prosecco week would not be complete without noting the wine of Verona!  Pasqua Italian Wines Passionesentimento Prosecco Spumate Brut tells the famous love story that has made Verona famous all over the world. The label features a wall shot of Juliet’s courtyard where many have written their love story. But also worth nothing is the distinction of DOC on the bottle!DOC (or Denominazione di Origini Controllata) is Italian for “controlled designation of origin.”  This is the protected geographic designation that marks the exclusivity of Prosecco to the area of Northeastern Italy. According to EU Law, Prosecco can come out of only 9 provinces in Italy and it MUST be made with at least 85% Glera Grapes. Verona is one of those provinces! Pasqua’s Romeo & Juliet Proseco is made using the Charmat method that is native to this wine-growing region. It is vivacious and fresh with a fresh and balanced palate. Expect a rather intense and fruity nose and a mouth-feel that is aromatic and finally a pleasantly tangy finish.Want to find a bottle to enjoy during #NationalProseccoWeek? Send us a message and we’ll connect you to a local wine retailer in the 901!.

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So much tequila for Friday... so little time

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National Tequila Day

To appreciate the cocktail engineering of a margarita and all of its shapes and forms, you have to be able to appreciate its spirit backbone: tequila!

Here’s some Tequila Facts:

-At a minimum, it takes <EIGHT> years for tequila to reach your glass. And even longer if it’s a darker hue!

-This spirit has triple the amount of flavor profiles of wine

- Unlike grapevines, Blue agaves are one-time use plants—the plant is harvested and its heart (Pina) is cut out and processed to make tequila.

-It’s a clear spirit, but is the only clear spirit to be pot-distilled (often twice)

-There’s 5 key categories to tequila and when tasting you should enjoy them light to dark by age: they are blanco (aka silver or joven), gold, reposado (rested tequila), anejo (1-3 years aged), and extra anejo (3+ years of aging)

Swipe to see a few of our favorites that you can find here in the 901. Want to find a bottle to enjoy tonight? Send us a message and we’ll connect you with a local Memphis retailer!