GOOD PLONK TO YOU

 

You may well have already seen the Boston Globe’s annual wine “Plonkapalooza” article in Wednesday’s edition. You may have already acted like so many others and rushed in to scoop up these choice wine picks from Busa Wines as listed in the Globe.

If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to read the very helpful article, I greatly encourage you to do so. Meantime, here are the 10 Busa Wines’ wines I selected that made the Plonkapalooza tasting. 

They are conveniently located near the store’s entrance

WHILE SUPPLIES LAST. 

REDS

Los Dos Grenache+Syrah 2010 

$7.99   2/$14.00 

Las Valles Tempranillo-Garnacha-Syrah 2010

$6.99   2/$12

Gran Familia Rioja 2008

$10.99 SALE

Viu Manent Carmenere 2010

$8.99   2/$18

Casa Pietrantonj Montepulciano d’ Abruzzo Etichetta Nera 2008

$11.99 

WHITES

Henri de Richemer Piquepoul 2010

$9.99 

Huber Hugo Gruner Veltliner 2010

$11.99  2/$22

Marques de Caceres Rioja 2010

$9.99 

Vignerons de Buxy Aligoté 2010

$11.99 

Weingut J. Linden Riesling 2010

$8.99 

Not responsible for typographical errors. Quantities limited. Selections vary by store.

Thanksgiving Menu ~ Paired with Wine

Thanksgiving is a great holiday for food lovers, but what about wine aficionados? Traditional Thanksgiving fare features such a wide array of side dishes; it would be a daunting task to pair one wine with so many different flavors. We have the solution: offer a variety of wine at your table. Consider the dominant flavor of each side dish & choose a wine to complement.

 

Busa’s Menu for Thanksgiving

~Aperitif with Assorted Cheeses~

 NapaMumm Sparkling Rose CA, $16.99  

GH Mumm Brut Cordon Rouge FR, $33.99

 A sparkler is the perfect opening act for a family celebration;  you can never go wrong with a bubbly

~Soup~

Butternut Squash Soup

Swallow Gewurztraminer OR$8.99

Conundrum Chardonnay/Sauvignon Blanc/MuscatCanelli/Viognier/Semillon BlendCA,$18.99

 ~Main Event~

Butter Basted Roast Turkey with Mushroom Gravy &  Sourdough Mushroom Stuffing

 Danjean-Berthoux Domaine du Moulin Neuf BourgognePinot Noir FR, $16.99

A to Z Pinot Noir OR, $19.99 

Pinot Noir is the quintessential food wine with a particular  affinity for mushrooms

Chateau de Sales Pomerol FR, $29.99

This Pomerol is Merlot/centric, rich, gentle, velvety with soft, smooth tannins & low acidity,

making it an elegant, sophisticated choice

The key in food & wine pairing is to match the wine with the sauce or key seasoning not just the main entree, so if you are going with a sausage stuffing, for example, you will want to amp up to a bigger, more aggressive wine that will accentuate the bolder flavors – so change your wine selection according to the stuffing, dressing, sauce, etc.

 Sausage & Sourdough Stuffing

Franciscan Cabernet Sauvignon Napa CA, $18.99

The Federalist ZinfandelCA, $21.99

 Cornbread Dressing

Catena ChardonnayAR, $14.99

~Sides~

Alice‘s Green Bean Casserole

Sterling NapaSauvignon Blanc CA, $13.99

 Roasted Cranberry Sauce

Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau FR, $8.99

Skeleton Blauer Zweigelt Burgenland AT, $11.99

 Julia Child’s Plain Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Clean Slate Riesling MoselDE, $11.99

Cline ViognierCA, $10.99

Brussel Sprouts w/Bacon

A to Z Pinot Gris OR, $14.99

Trimbach Pinot Gris Reserve AlsaceFR, $15.99

 ~Dessert~

Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Pastry Crust

BV Muscat de Beaulieu CA, $7.99

Foris Muscat Frissante OR, $13.99

Cheers~ and enjoy

Pick your Posion: What to drink while watching horror movies

There are so many horror movies on right now so, Busa has picked some frightening favorites bleeding them together with bone chilling beers, wines and spirits. Here is our top 10 list of hair-raising movies and what poison pairs perfectly with them.

Read on, if you dare….

#10. The Shining:  Heeeeeeere’s Johnnie Walker Red $26.99 

750ml bottle

            The official scotch of the Overlook Hotel

#9. Se7en: 7 Deadly Zins $13.99 750ml bottle

 

Full of pride that you got a good deal, others will envy your choice of red wine. But don’t be a greedy glutton and drink it all by yourself.

#8. Night of the Living Dead: Zombie Cocktail

½ oz Bacardi ($15.99 750ml bottle), 1 oz pineapple juice, ½ oz apricot brandy, 1 oz Dark rum, sugar and lime jucie

Pairs well with fresh brains…. 

#7. Silence of the Lambs: Chianti Classico Reserva $14.99 750ml

Serve with human liver and fava beans, straight jackets are optional.

#6.Rosemary’s Baby: Mommy’s Time Out $9.99 750ml

 

Is your child a Hellraiser? Do you need to call an Exorcist??

#5. An American Werewolf in London: Blue Moon- Harvest Moon 12oz 12pack for $12.99

You’re taste buds will howl with delight

# 4. Bram Stoker’s Dracula: Vampire’s Kiss

1 ½ oz Smirnoff Raspberry Vodka ($15.99, 750ml bottle), 1 oz Half & Half, ¾ oz Godiva Liqueur,

garnish rim with strawberry or raspberry syrup

Sink your teeth into this one

#3. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale 4 pack $8.99

 

Don’t loose your head- this is only available for a short time.

#2. Amityville Horror: Big House Red 3liter $15.99

Oh, just about any house red will do

 #1. Psycho: Chandon Brut Pink $16.99 750ml

It’s Mother’s favorite drink…..

Selections vary by store. Not responsible for typographical errors.

 

Fall Wine Guide is here

September means back to school. It’s a time many adults greatly anticipate even if they are not necessarily the ones returning to an educational establishment.

Even so, one should learn something new everyday, like:

What are the most exciting wines at the best prices?

Here they are–the wines that made the honor roll for highest quality, greatest character, pure deliciousness and most outstanding value.

Check out the full Wine Guide at

www.busawineguide.com

the answers to the wine quiz!

How did you do?

Below are the answers to last weeks wine quiz.

1 – c, Chardonnay

2 – b, the amount of time wine spends aging in oak and bottle

3 – a, Pinot Noir

4 – a, True

5 – d, Willamette Valley, Oregon

6 – b, France

 

WINE QUIZ!

Test your wine knowledge Questions are related to our

 Summer Wine Guide Wines…

 

1. The RussianRiverValleyis known for producing exceptional wines from the two noble grapes from Burgundy, France. One is Pinot Noir. What is the other?
1. Chenin Blanc
2. Sauvignon Blanc
3. Chardonnay
4. Cabernet Franc

 

2. The red wines of Rioja, Spain, are divided into four categories: Rioja, Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva. What do these terms refer to?
1. The quality of the grapes used to make the wine.
2. The amount of time the wine spends aging in oak and bottle.
3. The sub-regions within Rioja from which the grapes are sourced.
4. The winery’s quality level as designated by Spains DOC classification system.

 

3. Sylvaner is a white wine grape frequently grown in Germany. Spätburgunder is a red wine grape also grown in Germany. Which grape is Spätburgunder?
1. Pinot Noir
2. Cabernet Sauvignon
3. Merlot
4. Zinfandel

 

4. Gramona (producer of Gessami white), is an esteemed producer of Cava, Spain’s famed sparkling wine. True or false: Cava is produced in the Methode Champenoise, the same method used to produceChampagne.
1. True
2. False

 

5. TheRussianRiverValleyis famous for producing excellent Pinot Noir. Which other region is also esteemed for producing highly regarded Pinot?
1. Columbia Valley,Washington
2. Côtes du Rhône,France
3. Mendocino County,California
4. Willamette Valley,Oregon

 

6. Spain’s “DOC” system is used to categorize wine regions and guarantee quality. Which country’s “AOC” system inspired many countries to adopt such a system?
1. United States
2. France
3. Italy
4. Germany

Answers will be posted next week- No Cheating!

La Fête Nationale

Put on your raspberry beret and grab a croissant, it’s Bastille Day!

Bastille Day is the French national holiday, the equivalent of our July 4th and it is celebrated on the 14^th of July each year. In France, it is formally called La Fête Nationale (The National Celebration) and more commonly called le quatorze juillet (the fourteenth of July). It commemorates the 1790 Fete de la Federation, held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on July 14th, 1789.

 Bastille Day presents a great opportunity to celebrate with wonderful wine and food.

At Busa Wine & Spirits in Salem, they’ll be celebrating Bastille Day this

Saturday, the 16th with an eclectic array of French wine & food from 2:00-5:oopm.

(21 Traders Way, Salem MA, 978.745.8700)

Ooh La La!

 

What Dad Really wants for Father’s Day

What to get Dad for Father’s Day:

a poem by julie romei

He doesn’t want another tie and a card will do just fine. How about something different, maybe he’d like some wine?

                                                                                           

Doubleback Cabernet $79.99 (750ml)

He’s king of the golf course, he’s hitting all the pars; he doesn’t need more clubs- what about cigars?

 Walk in humidor in ourBurlington location

He taught you to be honest, to work hard and be true, reward him with a bottle of Johnnie Walker, Blue.

 

Johnnie Walker Blue $199.00 (750ml)

For the wacky dad who made you laugh and tucked you into bed, bring him vodka in a spooky bottle,

 made by Crystal Head.

Crystal Head Vodka $46.99 (750ml)

Always giving advice his wisdom is a cornucopia, bet he’s love the limited edition of Sam Adams Utopia.

Sam Adams Utopia $179.99

Cheers to a Happy Father’s Day, to all of you and yours!

Great Gifts that Dad will love in all our Busa Stores

 

 

Buy a Bag, Plant a Tree

Many of you have seen the 6 pack wine tote bags in our stores.

They are stylish, durable, and eco friendly.

Since 2009, we have offered our customers re-usable tote bags free of charge when shopping for wine. By using them, we have all reduced our consumption of paper bags and hopefully saved some trees. Now we’d like to take that a step further. 

Starting June 13th, we will be charging $1.00 for each tote bag.

 All proceeds will be donated to the

Arbor Day Foundation 

For every dollar collected, a tree will be planted to replace those lost to fire, pestilence or disease. 

These trees will be planted exclusively in our nation’s forests 

It’s a great way to help preserve our forests and environment.

College Food with College Graduate wines

Google food with wine and you’ll get these amazing food dishes like lobster, duck or oysters. What about the comfort foods? The food we all like to snack on; popcorn, ring dings or pretzels. I’m talking about the kind of food you ate in college or when you got your first apartment. These comfort low cost food should automatically be paired with mass produced boxed wines. There are some great wines that happen to be complementary with nachos, Ramen Noodles and a big Italian Sub.

Popcorn   and  Cristalino Cava Brut  $7.99

Italian Sub  and Fontana Candida Frascati Superiore  $8.99

Jalapeno Nachos and