local spirit – Mystic Wine Shoppe

Get Happy Mid-Winter Cocktail

Yup, it’s mid-winter, and there is yet another snowstorm on its way! Are you excited or dreading yet another driveway to shovel? We have mixed feelings but can say our February cocktail of the month is sure to help you beat those mid-winter blues. It’s refreshing, tangy, and reminds us of warmer weather. Give it a try – you’ll love it!

Recipe:

3 ounces of premium vodka
1-ounce fresh grapefruit juice
1-ounce fresh lime juice
1-ounce of lemonade
Bitters
Rosemary for garnish

Make:

Pour vodka, lemonade, grapefruit juice, and lime juice over ice
Add bitters – we did about 3 dashes
Mix and top with rosemary

We find winter is a lot more fun if you have an outdoor activity you love and a good cocktail in hand! We hope this easy-to-make and delicious cocktail brings you a happy moment.

Stay safe out there!

Thanks for reading along, Your friends at Mystic Wine Shoppe

February 16, 2021/by Eric Faiola

Monthly Cocktail

Our Fall Dark & Stormy

It’s official, fall is in the air! We’re celebrating the arrival of a new season with this delicious Fall Dark & Stormy cocktail. As always, this is easy to whip up and every ingredient (except the apple) can be found at Mystic Wine Shoppe.

Enjoy by a toasty fire, watching the Patriots game or perhaps at your Halloween party! Enjoy and please share your Dark & Stormy recipes with us.

Cocktail Ingredients:

2 ounces of Doc Brown’s Really Bad Rum. Co, Dark (purchase this at Mystic Wine Shoppe)
2 TBSP Angostura Aromatic Bitters (purchase this at Mystic Wine Shoppe)
1 bottle of Fever-Tree Ginger Beer (purchase this at Mystic Wine Shoppe)
1 Apple (cut up into small pieces)

Make it:

Cut up 2-3 slices of apples into small pieces
Add in rum, bitters and ginger beer
Add ice
Optional – squeeze a slice of lime into cocktail

ENJOY!

Please let us know what you think about this tasty fall cocktail! Thanks for reading and mixing with us!

September 10, 2019/by Eric Faiola

Events, Spirits

Bourbon Tasting Recap

It was another successful Winter Whiskey tasting! We continue to be so very grateful for the support of this community! Guests enjoyed sampling six delicious Buffalo Trace Bourbons along with locally made snacks. Everyone was engaged and learned a lot about different bourbons (including us). It’s an annual tasting that we LOVE to host and we can’t wait for next year. Thanks to everyone who came out and thank you to Buffalo Trace for sharing your Bourbon and knowledge with us.

bourbon tasting

Thanks again to everyone who joined us! Make sure to visit us for our Friday Beer Tastings from 6-8pm and our Saturday Wine Tastings from 5-7pm.

December 12, 2018/by Eric Faiola

Holidays, Spirits, Wine

10 Holiday Gifts You’ll Love

The holiday season is officially here!! Are you in search of a great gift this holiday season?! We’re guessing you’re saying “um, yes of course… please help.” Don’t worry, we’re here to help with these 10 great gift ideas. Not seeing a gift idea you love? Head into Mystic Wine Shoppe and let our team of experts help you pick out the right gift.

10 Holiday Gifts You’ll Love

1.Jim Beam Red Sox limited Edition Single Barrel Bourbon Gift Basket: This is the perfect gift basket for the Red Sox fan in your life! Not a Jim Beam fan, come and create your own custom gift basket!

2. Ken Forester Wines: Two great wines out of South Africa –

The Gypsy: The character is somewhat ‘wild’ a little brambly with hints of nutmeg, cinnamon, dark spices, with vanilla scents and a distinct, concentrated red-fruit focus. Great for laying down and keeping for at least ten years but already rewarding if allowed to breathe in a decanter.
The FMC: The pinnacle of what we consider to be the finest expression of the grapes of this varietal – an icon chenin, a challenge to the world! Rich, layered with dried apricot, vanilla and honey.

3. A Midwinter Nights Dram: A limited engagement with only 4 left!! This is a delicious blend of straight rye whiskeys.

4. Patron Tequila Mini Gift Pack: The perfect stocking stuffer!

5. Caymus Vineyards Wines: Calling all cab lovers!!!

Cabernet Sauvignon: This wine serves up a bevy of berry aromas and flavors. Its layered and rounded palate make it a delectable choice with a thick and mouthwatering grilled ribeye.
Caymus Special Edition: A truly legendary wine, Caymus Special Selection is a wine that Cab lovers simply can’t get enough of. Introduced more than 30 years ago, Special Selection is a vivid expression of Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley. Starting with the foundation of their Rutherford estate vineyard and then securing contracts for long-term farming control of vineyards across the valley, Caymus has been able to solidify the extraordinary character and over-the-top quality of this very special wine vintage after vintage.

6. Willett Rye Whiskey: A special release!!! Even a quick nosing reveals that Rye nose of grassy, herbal goodness with a sweetness that follows it. The palate is well balanced with a herbal mintiness, intertwined with a sweetness that dances on your tongue until it exits with a spiciness. This is a great utility whiskey to drink neat, make an Old Fashioned, or hold up to a rock.

7. The Dalmore 18: Dalmore’s trademark style is luscious notes of orange, chocolate and spices, and the 18-Year-Old bottling is a terrific example. Aged in both bourbon and sherry casks, it has seductive notes of vanilla, dark chocolate and candied orange on the nose, followed by a full-bodied, spicy palate of cinnamon and stewed fruit. Recently reduced to just $174

8. Opus One Wine: The essence of time is expressed in Opus One by the character of each vintage. Place, often defined as terroir, represents the geography, the climate and the essential human element which is captured in the wine’s balance between power and finesse, structure and texture.

9. French Wines: Not sure which wine to choose, how about three delicious French wines… you can’t go wrong with any of these wines.

Terres Brulées Cornas Syrah: A deep ruby-black with purple hints. Blackcurrant, dark cherries and blackberries, with spices, licorice and cocoa on the nose. A very rich mouth-feel with flavors of black fruit, jam, vanilla, spice and mineral notes. This wine has firm tannins and a long lasting finish.
Bila-Haut Occultum Lapidem: he Occultum Lapidem displays great dark garnet-red color in the glass. The nose is laden with aromas of black fruits, pepper, leather and graphite with hints of shrubs. On the palate, the fleshy quality of the wine is apparent straightaway from the attack. Rich and dense, the wine finishes with a balance of fruit and delicate tannins.
Prémices: A pure, elegant style, with an alluring raspberry puree note leading the way, while light blood orange, red currant and plum fruit flavors follow close behind. Nuances of incense, mulling spices and rooibos tea flitter throughout. The finish is silky and persistent.

10. Santa Rita Casa Real Cabernet Sauvignon: This full-bodied wine has beautiful complexity, with flowers, sandalwood and subtle currants, a dense centre palate and a long finish. Purity in cabernet sauvignon. Drinks great now or you can cellar it
for 10 years.

We hope to see you soon at Mystic Wine Shoppe! Let us know what you think about this years gift guide!

December 3, 2018/by Eric Faiola

Monthly Cocktail

Blueberry Holiday Cocktail

We’re getting into the holiday spirit with our November Cocktail of The Month! This delicious and easy-to-make cocktail is sure to be a holiday hit at your Thanksgiving table or at your holiday bash.

Ingredients:

Triple Eight Blueberry Vodka – We had leftover from our “Go Patriots” cocktail so we used that
Frozen cranberries & blueberries
Sparkling Cider

Make it:

Place 8-12 frozen berries into glass cup
Pour 2 ounces of blueberry vodka into glass
Top it off with sparkling cider

We hope you find this cocktail makes the perfect addition for your holiday get-together! If you’re looking for a great hostess gift, stop into Mystic and pick-up a holiday gift basket or charcuterie board. Not into cocktails, check out our Turkey Day Wine Guide!

Cheers!

November 20, 2018/by Eric Faiola

Pairings, Wine

Turkey Day Wine Guide

Thanksgiving is around the corner (we can’t believe it either)!!! Don’t procrastinate this year… get ahead of the game and shop our delicious wines that pair perfectly with appetizers, turkey, and dessert. We’re making it easy for you with our Turkey Day Wine Guide!

Aperitifs:

Riva Rosé is a delicious sparkling rosé from the Mediterranean. The wine displays delicate yet persistent bubbles. The nose exudes aromas of small red fruits such as strawberry and raspberry. The palate offers refreshing notes of grapefruit and spice. Perfect for aperitifs and to possibly drown out the noise of your relatives… haha, just kidding!

The Main Meal:

Pinot Noir Wines are a perfect pairing for turkey! Here are two that we love –

Elouan Pinot Noir Dark: Shimmering ruby red. Deep notes of plum, red cherries and blackcurrant jam with subtle touches of toasty vanilla and spice. Rich, ripe fruit flavors of plum, cherry, mixed berry jam, and blackberry. Smooth tannins round out the mouthfeel.
Beaujolais-Villages Sélection Georges Duboeuf: An intense, brilliant cherry color with purplish tints. Complex nose with red and blackberry aromas. A smooth wine with fine tannins, harmonious and complete.

Along with a good red, we also love a good white wine to pair with turkey. Here are two delicious white wines from Trimbach.

Trimbach Reisling: The nose shows restrained citrus and a slightly lifted, very slightly aromatic touch of conifer. The palate is taut and slender, presenting sober, clean citrus flavors. This stands upright and has a wonderful backbone of freshness.
Trimbach Gewurztraminer: A very shy nose just releases the most teasing hint of peach. The palate is utterly restrained: peach flavors are dry and brightened by lemon and have a wonderful lightness of touch. The finish is dry, clean and long.

Dessert/After-dinner Drink:

You can’t forget about the post-feast wine! A great dessert wine is in order

Haut Charmes Sauternes 2015: Haut Charmes is a very special Sauternes bottling, made from the younger vines of the region’s most legendary château. While we aren’t allowed to actually reveal the source, it’s safe to say its location in the Ciron Valley exposes the Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon fruit to conditions perfect for the development of botrytis. Charming, elegant and an exceptional value for what’s in the bottle.

Not in love with these wines?! Head on in and let us help you choose the perfect wine. Our educated staff is always happy to help!

Thanks,

The Mystic Wine Shoppe Team

November 1, 2018/by Eric Faiola

Events, Wine

Grand Wine Tasting Event Recap

What an event!!! On Saturday, October 13th we held our second annual Grand Wine Tasting event at Mystic Wine Shoppe. We had customers from near and far, including dogs and babies, come sample over 20 delicious wines with us. This year we held the event in our attached garage to allow plenty of space for sampling. It was a great turnout and we’re so thankful for all the support.

Did you miss the event? Don’t worry, we hold weekly wine and beer tastings. Plus, make sure you reserve your ticket for our Dec. 6th Bourbon Tasting.
Thanks again for everyone who joined us!

October 25, 2018/by Eric Faiola

Pairings, Weekly Wine Pick, Wine

Black Ops

Wine writers call wines like Black Ops by Hugh Hamilton a “rare red blend.” I would call it an “extremely rare red blend.” It is just luscious – deep, inky color paired with unmistakable notes of wild blueberries, dark blackberries, juicy red cherries and a slightly elusive savory/wild herb / ripe fruit note that soaks into every taste bud and makes your shoulders relax.

This wine is made of the unusual blend of Shiraz, Saperavi and Nero d’Avola. Shiraz, a mainstay of McLaren Vale, is the iconic grape of meaty, mighty and most especially tasty Australian wines. It is the same grape that is used in Rhône wines, notably Hermitage, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and Cornas, which is the only French wine made with 100% Syrah. The primary distinction between Shiraz and Syrah is stylistic. Most Australian Shiraz tends to have a riper, fruitier, more concentrated set of flavors, whereas the cooler climate Syrahs of the Rhône Valley in Southern France, then to be a bit more savory, a bit more structured and a bit more peppery. The trend these days in Australia is that Shiraz is planted in cooler microclimates and is producing a more restrained type of wine, closer in character to the Syrahs of France, while the French are dealing with warmer, longer summers and are producing much more alcoholic, powerful wines than in the past. But despite this climatic convergence, they are still very distinct.

To add to this distinction, Hugh Hamilton has lived up to his Black Sheep logo by introducing an extraordinary grape to Australia called Saperavi. It is an ancient grape variety from the Republic of Georgia. In my mind, it evokes romantic images of farmers thousands of years ago, plucking grapes by hand, stomping the grapes in celebratory fashion with their families, fermenting that must in clay amphorae and drinking it with joy at every hearty meal. It is a grape that deserves this image. It brings to this wine a sort of wild, gamey nature that the buttoned-down varieties of Western Europe lack. It is a teinturier grape, that rare grape whose flesh, not just the skin, has color. And it is known for its depth, acidity, and full body.

Another bold move was to blend in Nero d’Avola. Again, this is an ancient variety that has found its home in the southern parts of Sicily. Like its happy compatriots, it is a dark, full-bodied wine that exhibits bright cherry notes that when oak-aged, can become plummy and juicy.

Together, these three varieties make Black Ops a truly exceptional wine. It is fruity and fragrant while still being structured and powerful. The wine starts strong with aromas of black currants, plums and cherries and fills your mid-palate with wonderful roundness and the complexity of pepper, dark chocolate and a small hint of herbs that seems ingrained in Australian terroir. The mellow tannins are more textural than grippy, rolling over your tongue with very pleasing sensations. It finishes with a long, slow slide of lingering fruits and tobacco and perhaps a hint of smoke.

You’d be a fool to pass up this wine at $19.99 a bottle!!!!

Your wine expert, Seema

September 19, 2018/by Eric Faiola

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