Hola Free Rangers,
The dog days are upon us, and there is no end in sight. Dog days are defined here in Brooklyn as days that are so hot that our neighborhood doggie friends, immediately upon entry, flop down on the floor, where the temperature is lowest, and the cool wood feels so nice on their concrete toasted bellies. It really is an excellent dog neighborhood, and we very much appreciate you all sharing your furry friends with us. A couple of our very favorite more timid woofers moved away this month. We wish Bruno the Dalmatian and Odie the fluffy Doodle (and their humans) safe travels and good fortune; you will all be missed. There really is something special about taking the time to gain the trust of trepidatious little friends, and the only two people from whom Odie would accept pets (besides his family) are Wesley and I. Be brave, little guy, make some new friends, and enjoy your new backyard out of town!
Unrelated to anything else- besides the scorching heat- let’s talk wine and temperature. Unless you keep your living space constantly under 75 degrees, you’re going to want to store your wine in the fridge, even in the short term and, yeah even the reds. Even fairly new reasonably stable wine would prefer not to reach 80 degrees, and even light exposure to 90 degrees plus can damage more sensitive wine irrecoverably. If you have any bottles laying around during the summer, and you plan to leave town, all of your bottles (yes, even red!) are much happier at fridge temp than at sweltering empty apartment temp. They can always be brought back to room temp before drinking, but most reds are great with a bit of chill on them too. And you simply can’t un-cook a bottle that has languished in the summer sun. Be kind to your bottles, and they will be there for you when you need them. Running out of wine sucks. Semi-related: never trust a hot wine shop.
Now, thanks to everyone who came out to meet Robert Brittan and taste with us. That was a really great one. We did run a bit low on Brittan Pinot Noir Basalt Block 2021 and Brittan Pinot Noir Cygnus Block 2021, which is apparently showing ‘out of stock’ on the sale page. So we just ordered some more, added to the sale page, and made that sale page live for one more week. There are still a few Brittan Vertical 6-packs which contain the last of the Basalt ’14 and Basalt ’16 that are only available in 6-pack. They are both showing beautifully and clearly have many years of graceful aging in them (especially the ’16 which might outlive many of us, given the opportunity). Get 10% off all Brittan wines, 20% off 6+ bottles (mix & match), or 30% off our Vertical 6-pack! Check out the Brittan sale here:
(!) Click here for Brittan sale page (!)
As promised, here’s rockstar tasting number 2! This Thursday, June 27th (5-7pm), or buddy, Rob from St. George Spirits, will be in the shop to introduce two new gins. The latest clear gin release, St. George Valley Gin, is a delightfully fresh, orange citrus forward spirit that is distinctly different from their Botanivore, Terroir, and/or Dry Rye gins that have long been staples around here. And most excitingly, we’ve just received the first single barrel of St. George Reposado Barrel Aged Gin ever to make it to NY! It is deep and delicious, having rested over 4 years in second fill CA Red Wine barrel. Now bottled and living in some singular ethereal realm, at the intersection of gin, bourbon, and time. It’s also clocking in at nearly 120 proof (well into Navy strength), so guessing there will likely be as many bar tenders coming in for this one as neighborhood regulars, and our usual high quality cocktail nerds. It’s fascinating juice and we couldn’t be prouder to be the first (and only!) in New York with a barrel. Would you like to be amongst the first to taste?! See you Thursday!
This week only, enjoy 25% off our exclusive single barrel, and 10% off *most* other St. George Spirits in stock!
(!) Click here for St. George sale page (!)
Cheers,
Jack
Proprietor
Free Range Wine & Spirits
P.S. Free Range E-mail Archive
