With a local legacy dating back to 1936, with the first store opened by Jack Holloway located at North Orange Avenue and Wall Street in downtown Orlando, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits is still a family-owned and operated business with 125 stores across Florida. And more than offering consumers a wide selection of beverages and accessories, the company is committed to philanthropy.
In addition to their philanthropic work, ABC is known for its large selection of wines. And now that the holidays are nearing, we got some notes on wines for the season from ABC Fine Wine & Spirits’ wine expert Atanas Nechkov.
Pulse Coconut and Pulse Grapefruit Rosé should never be served with food. They are more than just wine — they are a wine cocktail. This style comes from a French tradition of adding a touch of fruit juice/syrup to a glass of wine. The freshness of the Rosé wine is perfectly balanced by the natural flavor of the coconut or tangy citrus fruit added, resulting in a vibrant and refreshing drink. Serve chilled or over ice and enjoy as aperitif or between meals.
The ready-bottled flavored Rosé wine was born about ten years ago and became, in a very short time, a favorite with European consumers, and not just the wine beginners but also anybody who wanted a cool refresher on a hot summer day enjoyed on a terrace of an outdoor-café. Millions of cases were sold mostly in the Mediterranean summer resort towns. These are perfect to take to a party where only light appetizers are served.
Chateau Trians Rose, Chateau de Cary Potet Bourgogne Pinot Noir, Vue Sur Mer Cabernet Sauvignon, and Haton Brut Classic are the perfect wines for the table because there are dry, with good acidity and minerality and no additives. They will enhance your food & wine experience.
I recommend decanting the Burgundy Pinot Noir and the Languedoc Cabernet Sauvignon for an hour before serving and pair with roasted red meats, red-sauce pasta dishes and stews. Chateau de Cary Potet Bourgogne Pinot Noir would pair well with a traditional Thanksgiving turkey meal, as long as it is mostly savory.
Chateau Trians Rose is more universal in food and wine pairing — any seafood dishes including grilled shrimp and fish are a favorite pairing, but also mixed salads, roasted or grilled whites meats and vegetables and even the traditional turkey meal, where we are pairing not just texture and body but also color. Trians Rose perfectly complements the roasted turkey, cranberry sauce and other pumpkin-based side dishes (pumpkin ravioli).
Haton Classic Brut is a Blanc de Noirs Champagne, which means a white wine made of all red grapes, roughly 60% Pinot Meunier and 40% Pinot Noir in this case. The color is golden yellow, and the effervescence is persistent with an attractive constant stream of tiny bubbles. The bouquet offers aromas and flavors of red-currants, stone fruit, notes of citrus and orange zest and touch of dried fruits and flowers. Haton Classic Brut is ideal served as aperitif, but it will pair well with seafood dishes and roasted meats as well, because it’s a Blanc de Noirs, which makes it, just like Trians Rose, a very versatile, and universal use wine.
Octopoda Chardonnay, Dom Peseta Cava Brut, and Coll alto Prosecco Extra Dry could be enjoyed as aperitif or successfully paired with food as well. The Prosecco is Extra-Dry, means more dosage than Brut, or slightly sweeter than Brut. The Cava offers more persistent effervescence than Prosecco and creamier texture and is perfect on its own or mixed with orange juice. The California Chardonnays in general have more residual sugar and exhibit more tropical fruit profile and less citrus than the Chardonnays from Burgundy. These three wines would be perfect to take to a party with no set menu or light appetizers only.