'Zilla's Weekly Wine and Tunes Pairing

By Joe Colgan

Ah, finally, the three day weekend is upon us. Although Labor Day reminds us that summer's end is near (gasp!) it's time to kick back and fire up the bbq, perhaps do a little fishing, or head to the beach for some last summertime moments (Mr. Ruth, pictured at right with fish, has the right idea). Wherever you find yourselves this holiday, it will hopefully be full of good food, good drinks, and good company.

A great wine to reach for this weekend is one that has been a go-to favorite of mine for many years - St. Supery's  Sauvignon Blanc. It's a consistently enjoyable wine at a great price - retails around $17. Born in Napa Valley from their estate vineyard Dollarhide Ranch,  St. Supery's 2010 Sauvignon Blanc is very crisp, bright, and pleasantly mouthwatering. I get lots of tropical fruits entering the palette picture - grapefruit, kiwi, and melon. The nose offers full-blown smells of summer - cut grass and lemon. You'll find it can be great as a standalone or a nice complement with many summertime food favs - fish, grilled asparagus, mild cheeses, oysters,...crab cakes! The wine is 100% Sauvignon Blanc and 13.7% alcohol. Nicely chilled, it's a great pic for your holiday wine needs. The 'Zilla predicts this will become a regular in your fridge arsenal.

We have to fire up a summertime classic to make the most of these final moments of outdoor fun. How perfect is it that one of my all time favorite tunes for summer, "Everybody Loves the Sunshine" by Roy Ayers, was performed this summer by some friends of CORKZILLA's, The Jazz Mafia Symphony, with Roy Ayers, on NYC's Central Park Summerstage...!?!? Perfect.

Just bee's and thangs and flowers...with a glass or two of wine. Nice way to celebrate summer.

Cheers!

By Ben Heskett

File under: One hit wonder for the last weekend of Summer 2011. Though not official based on our calendar, I’ve often considered Labor Day weekend the unofficial official end of the summer season. Times have changed, as well as geographies, and my west coast experience leaves this assumption a little fuzzy, with beautiful weather often stretching well into October and November. But Labor Day is still often tinged with a kind of sadness and a little bit of a reality check, frankly - It has generally served to whack me out of whatever summertime reverie I happened to be in right back into real world. Whomp!

Well, I’m telling you there’s more than a little summer in all of us 365 days a year, no matter if we live in Florida, the North Pole, or San Francisco’s often foggy climes. To go along with this state of mind, I’ve unearthed a truly dusty, long lost hit (Top 10 on the 1978 charts, no less) from Jay Ferguson, who takes us on a journey to “Thunder Island” thanks in part to the late night TV vehicle known as Don Kirscher’s Rock Concert (Bring it back!).

The video below is a great period piece. Oh, it’s all there. The overall dedication to hair, including the requisite porn mustache on the guitar player, the glittering disco-style lights, and what appears to be some sort of jumpsuit/tracksuit number on Jay Ferguson himself.

Clearly, this song is a guilty pleasure. But it has a lot of the characteristics I ascribe to summer. To go along on our journey to the island, I’ll recommend a recent addition to the ‘Zilla cellar – A compelling Gruner Veltliner from Etz of Austria, imported by the folks at Winemonger. It offers a compelling freshness to go with a late summer breeze, with a crispness (no oak), some light acidity and subtle fruit notes to keep you refreshed. Cheers! Now get after it this weekend...