Sunday School
Learn about and enjoy a different not-so-common wine, cheese and beer every Sunday—at incredibly low prices. School was never this delicious! Limit one each per guest at the Sunday School price. Please, no returns: if you try it, you buy it.
Syllabus for Sunday, May 26, 2013
Sunday's Wine
Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean, produces an impressive quantity of wine for such a small place. Historically, what Sicily’s wine lacked in quality, it made up for in quantity. Like much of southern Italy, this has been changing rapidly and deliciously. Improved viticulture and cellar practices, along with a new generation of winemakers inspired by the great wines of the world, has led to a tremendous leap forward. Poggio Anima, a joint venture between Montalcino superstar Riccardo Campinoti of Le Ragnaie and his Tria-approved importer Vine Street Imports, is one tasty example. Uriel, translating to “God of Light,” is named for the angel who checked each of the doors during the Passover. It’s made entirely from Grillo; this is one of the most historic grapes in Sicily and the most sought-after grape for Marsala, the famous Italian fortified wine. Today’s bright, still version is slightly complex, with good weight and a refreshing acidity on the palate. It strikes the perfect balance between depth of flavor and the lightness you crave on a hot summery day. Cin Cin!
Sunday School Price $10½ glass $5½ glass
Sunday's Cheese
From the Heartland of America, today’s cheese proves there’s more to the Midwest than corn. Sharp and nutty, creamy yet crunchy, the Prairie Breeze is a blend of traditional Cheddar and an Alpine-style cheese made in the great state of Iowa. The Mussers, a Mennonite family transplanted from PA, began making cheese in 2005 using the hand-milked and pasture-fed cow’s milk of small Amish family farms all within 15 miles of the Milton Creamery (most within three—how’s that for being neighborly). This award-winning Alpine-style Cheddar was first made by Galen Musser, son of the Milton Creamery owners, when he was just 17. Aged for at least nine months, this approachable cheese is hard not to like with its slightly sweet nuttiness, dry sharpness and tangy finish. Try this bright and balanced cheddar with an earthy medium-bodied red wine or double IPA.
Sunday School Price $6½ $3½
Sunday's Beer
For French winemakers, the term Grand Cru denotes a wine whose superior fruit has been harvested from a very special piece of land. For beer, the term Grand Cru is much less specific; but there are a few definite things you can ascertain about a beer labeled “Grand Cru.” First, that beer is likely a Belgian or Belgian-style ale. Second, that beer is a special product of that particular brewery. It may be spiced, it may be strong, it may be aged in wood, but regardless of the recipe, the brewer has likely lavished extra time and attention on his Grand Cru. Yards Grand Cru certainly deserves this moniker. Our friends at this favorite Philadelphia brewery call it a Belgian Strong Golden Ale, a category invented by Belgium’s iconic Duvel, but it’s a smidge different from its famous ancestor. Like Duvel, Grand Cru is golden in color and deceptively strong. However, it’s even stronger than Duvel, with bracing tartness and effervescence. With Bordeaux’s prestigious Grand Cru wines, the flavors get better with age. With Yards Grand Cru, the time to enjoy is Right Now.
Sunday School Price $5 / 10 oz DRAFT $3 / 10 oz DRAFT
