This month’s 3BOTTLES is about The Loire River Valley, the most diverse wine region in France and maybe the world. The Loire makes every imaginable type of wine, from very dry to very sweet, from still to sparkling and in all colors: white, red, and pink. The Loire is one of the few places in the world to cellar their white wines for many decades to bring them to their potential. To the right is a picture of a wine cellar in Vouvray. Practicality says that the Loire is as far north as you dare go to plant vines and still have enough warmth and sunshine to allow the grapes to ripen. Because of this vulnerability to their climate, corporate wine concerns do not locate their industrial wine operations in the Loire. The region is made up almost entirely of small family operations, just the kind of properties we seek out to promote at 3CUPS. This month’s 3 wines are all the product of Biodynamic agriculture and the cost of May 3BOTTLES is $52.49.

The wines of the Loire are underdogs. They make crisp and racy wines - mostly white, in a time where fatter, richer - mostly red wines are favored. There are many reasons for my interest and affection for the wines of the Loire River Valley, here are 3…

1. Refreshing Acidity… makes them great food wines and interesting to drink.

2. Family Farms… the wines come from family farms many of which practice organic and Biodynamic agriculture.

3. Great Values… the wines are obscure and therefore are often great values.

Weekend Wine
Domaine Saint Nicholas
Les Clous 2005
$16.50 / $168.30 case = $14.03
10% OFF this FRIDAY and SATURDAY

I have always loved this white wine from Thierry Michon. I met him and we dinner when he visited 3CUPS a few years ago. Thierry has devoted his life to the craft of authentic wine and Biodynamic agriculture. His vines are located very close to the ocean, too close for most and therefore he’s one of the last far mers growing grapes in this tiny viticultural area called Fiefs Vendeens. He has slowly acquired plots of adjacent land to buffer his vines from chemicals from neighboring farms.

Here’s what Jon-David who lives in N.C. and imports Thierry’s wine had to say about him:

“For years he worked all week in the vines and then took off on Friday afternoons for the 5 hour drive to Paris. From the back of his truck he sold his wines to restaurants and small shops. When Thierry’s wine starting showing up on the lists of Guy Savoy, Taillevent, and Arpège, people starting paying attention. This personalized service helped to make so many friends for Thierry in the Paris wine world that he continues to make the trip north once a month, often with his son riding shotgun, to deliver wine to the Michelin-starred restaurants of the capital.”

The Wine… a blend of mostly Chenin Blanc with some Chardonnay and a bit of Groslot Gris. Beautifully distinctive with aromas of the forest and the sea, the wine has flavors of candied fruit with a wet rock element. It finishes almost dry and has the hallmark refreshing acidity of wines from the Loire.

The Importer… Jon-David Headrick Selections is a national importer of small-production, artisan wines from France, principally from the Loire Valley. The company represents young growers using a progressive approach and favors older vine fruit and organic and Biodynamic far ming. More than half of the properties in the portfolio are organic and all are harvested by hand.

Friday Fresh @ 3
Huachez, Neyra, Huaman Microlot
Valle de Santuario
Peru
San Iganacio
$19/lb.

This Microlot is from 3 standout farmers in the Valle de Santuario group in San Ignacio, Peru. Corina Huaman, Zacarias Neyra (pictured) and Aquino Huachez produced coffees that scored well enough in qualifying cuppings to be selected to be broken out as a special Microlot.

Complex and delicious, with notes of sweet toffee, butter, white grape, savory squash and spice with a soft, coating body and a delicate, vanilla aftertaste.

For more information on the Valle de Santuario group in San Ignacio, Peru, follow this link…

On Saturday, May 17 at 10:00 AM we will have our monthly coffee cupping.

A cupping is a blind tasting of fresh roasted, fresh ground coffees. We do this to learn about the character – the aroma, flavor, body and aftertaste - specific to coffees from different regions, different varietals, and different growing processes. It’s also designed to help us appreciate what makes a great coffee great and to develop a palate for recognizing and selecting these coffees. The process of cupping is a process of tasting, thinking and learning with a group. We implement a rule of silent work, so that no participant’s tastes are influenced, although there is a lot of “aspirating” going on – snorting and slurping to get everything that’s there. It’s a chance to discover and appreciate what you like, what you don’t like and a lot you probably didn’t know about coffee cultivation and care.

There is no cost, but space is limited, so please call 919.968.8993 or sign up in the shop.

Aizu Kohi Nihongo. That’s what we do at 3CUPS. It is also the method that we use to prepare iced coffee.

Now, for those who speak Japanese this is no great mystery. The literal translation is “Japanese Iced Coffee”. For those of us who appreciate the authentic flavors of coffee, Aizu Kohi Nihongo is a quantum leap from what we are used to. The coffee is prepared with the intention of being served on ice (rather than pouring over hot coffee gone cold) and maintains the delicious acidity (rather than the low acid Toddy system).

We use our pour over manual drip method, but we use a little less water and fill the pitcher with ice. The concentration evens out, but the coffee chills immediately capturing the wild flavors released during the brew. African coffees are the origin of choice at 3CUPS for all the bright fruity flavors. Finca El Jardin from Colombia is what we are currently serving because the lemon flavors shine when served over ice.

I’d like to tip my hat to the Japanese, they blazed the trail in cold coffee. Iced coffee has been served in coffee shops since the 1920s and in 1969, UCC Ueshima Coffee released ready to drink canned coffee which is ubiquitous in Japan today. Over the past few years, Coke, Pepsi/Starbucks, Sara Lee, etc… have all entered the canned coffee game here in the US, compete with evaporated milk and artificial sweetener. I can assure you that we are sitting this one out… our iced coffee is made fresh, is NOT out of a can and there is nothing artificial about it.

The best thing about Aizu Kohi Nihongo is that you can do it at home. Choose your favorite coffee origin and give it a try. Stop by the shop and ask for a sample… we’d be happy to show you how we do it.