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This month's Featured Newsletter Article!

Keep it Light, Fresh and Cool

Whether preparing to go to a concert at Chastain Park, a family outing to Piedmont Park, a July 4th celebration, or just cooking out in your neighborhood,, there is always a decision to make about what drink goes best with the hot summer days. John O’Brien has provided us with the following suggestions:

1. Light: wines can be light in color, light in flavor, and light in body. Light wines may also be any color (white, pink, sparkling or red). Sparkling wine (both Prosecco and Champagne) are great before during and after a meal. There is literally nothing lighter than bubbles. And bubbles to a lesser degree are in other wines too. Table wines like Vinho Verde (white) and Lambrusco (white or red) have some sparkle too.

The quickest way to determine how light in body any alcoholic beverage may be is the alcohol itself. The lower the alcohol, the light the beverage. (Think Belgian ale vs. Bud Light). Most new world wines, for instance, are fuller-bodied than their old world cousins. (Compare American Chardonnay to French).

2. Fresh: generally a fresh wine is a young wine. Picnics are not usually a time for old wines of any type - even Champagne. A good young wine, after all, should have the look and scent of fresh fruits and flowers. New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs are renown for their citrus scents. Gavi, a fresh Italian white feels like concentrated spring water with suggestions of stone fruit like peaches.

3. Cool: I think we can all agree that in warm weather any beverage tastes better cool so don't be afraid to cool all your wines especially when serving them outdoors. The "room temperature" convention is out the window when you're not in a room. And if your wine gets too cold, it'll warm up quickly. And remember, it's much easier to let a liquid warm up than it is to cool it down.

No matter what your picnic entails or where you go, Tower hopes these hints help you enjoy the food, drinks, family, and friendship of a great day outdoors.

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The World of Wine

Welcome to a world of over 2200 wines representing 20 different countries. Welcome to a world with several dozen different grapes and several hundred different styles. Welcome to a world that grows each year and changes with each new vintage. And welcome to a world with prices ranging from just a few dollars to just a few hundred. Seem intimidating?

Welcome to Tower where the world of wine is anything but intimidating. Our staff of wine professionals is too laid back to be stuffy and too passionate about wine to not want to share that excitement with you. The exploration of wine should be fun and exciting for every person and every budget and we are only too happy to be your guides. So whether you are buying a gift, matching a wine to a particular recipe or looking for the next wine for your cellar, welcome to the wine department at Tower.

*Be sure to check out the Wine Report!