Why is Your Wine More Expensive than Wine at the Grocery Store?Wines readily available at retail are mass marketed and mass produced, with thousands or tens of thousands of cases made each year. We make our wine one barrel at a time, approximately 300 bottles. Hand picking, hand sorting, constant attention during fermentation and frequent attention while in the barrel all add costs. We also pay for top quality fruit and the finest French oak barrels. While we do try to keep costs reasonable, we do not compromise on quality. Our wine making standards are competitive with other ultra premium small wine makers who often charge far more, especially wine makers with more established marquee or “cult” reputations. How Should I Store and Serve Calicaro Wines?Storage: Wines like peace and quiet. Keep away from light, vibration and heat. Ideally this would be a cellar, but if not available we would suggest a wine cooler or cool closet. With our Pinot, if you have received a shipment, give the wine time in the bottle before opening to settle back down, ideally six months or so, but if not, then at least a couple of months. Serve: Whites can be chilled but not too much. Best served about 50º give or take a few degrees. Several hours in the fridge can easily accomplish this. Reds can be served slightly chilled to cool room temperature, i.e. about 58º to 68º. We generally do not fine or filter our wine so you may wish to decant. Allowing the wines to breathe a bit before serving is recommended- at least 30 minutes and preferably an hour. Availability of Our Wines?We sell through our website, mailing list, wine club and at select fine restaurants and wine shops. To purchase online click on the Purchase heading on the at the top of this page and follow the instructions. To find out where you can find us currently at at restaurants and wine shops please send us an email at info@calicaro.com. And thanks for your business! What Should I Serve With Calicaro Wines?Consistent with our philosophy, we make “big” but food friendly wines. As a broad rule of thumb, our red wines go well with meats and stronger cheeses and our white wines (which we intend to make in future years) will go well with seafood, poultry, fruit and mild cheeses. Why the Name “Calicaro”?Cali for California and Caro for Carolina. Our “roots” are in California and our heads and hearts are in South Carolina. Calicaro sounds Spanish or Italian- we like the association with the great winemaking traditions of both of those countries How Do You Live on the East Coast and Make Exceptional West Coast Wine?There are two important factors. First, we have great partners in California. From our growers to our wine makers, we are fortunate to work with exceptionally talented, experienced and dedicated people who have consistently produced 90+ point wines. Second, we are in constant connection via phone, email, Fed Ex and air travel. We go to California for important “hands on” work such as the harvest crush, barrel sampling and blending and we provide much of our daily oversight by other means, including dedicated computer links. We could not do this without our partners in California. What is on the Horizon for Calicaro?We are currently offering Pinot Noir and will soon be releasing Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Syrah and Viognier, also all single vineyard designated wines. Please email us at info@calicaro.com for more details or sign up for our newsletters on our home page. We also post on the Calicaro Facebook fan page here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Calicaro-Wine/151247110484 and occassionally post on the Calicaro Blog here: http://calicaro.blogspot.com/ What are the General Characteristics of the Different Varietals?Here are some very short descriptions of some of the major varietals. Recognize that wine makers frequently deviate from these general descriptions.
|
© Calicaro Wine - All Rights Reserved | Policies