Wine Tasting August 18th!

An Old Idea Whose Time Has Come

Got Beer?

Somewhere in the late 19th century, a beer enthusiast made his way from the local pub with a galvanized pail of brew in hand. With each step his beer sloshed about in the pail as CO2 escaped with a growl, thus coining the word "growler" to indicate all vessels that would carry tapped craft brews.

Now you can fill a custom 32 or 64 ounce growler at Out of the Blue! Our new growler station offers 6 varieties of craft beers with an alternating menu featuring India Pale Ales, lagers, Belgian Ales, and Farmhouse Saisons.

Once you purchase a growler you never need to purchase one again; you simply bring the growler to the store and fill it with a new selection. (We actually give you a sterilized one like yours) Properly capped, a growler can keep beer nice and fresh for a week.

Our smaller growlers are perfect for trying several craft brews! 

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For our wine lovers, we have the product of the year. It is the Corkcicle, a new way to chill wine from the inside. The Corkcicle is like an icicle with a cork attached. Simply place your Corkcicle in the freezer for at least 2 hours. Open a bottle of wine and pour out the first tastes to make room for the Corkcicle. Enjoy a perfectly chilled bottle with no ice bucket. Re-use again and again. This is the perfect accessory for far-away cabins where ice machines are rarer than Yetis. City-folk love them too.

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Have you seen the incredible bounty of Rhododendron in Blue Ridge this year? Stream banks, lake shores and the forests are full of the pale pink softball sized (larger, really) blooms. We suggest you fill a growler, get a bottle of wine and a Corkcicle, pack a picnic of gourmet provisions and get out there!

Summertime and the living is good

Savannah Bee Event!

Cheese Anyone?

Through my passion for wines and my obsession to offer the finest in our area, a new love emerged...CHEESE.  Admittedly, it was a natural progression and has proving to be satisfying beyond my wildest dreams.

It is so much fun to expose our guests to cheese and encourage them to taste the differences, understand that like wine, it reflects the terroir.

Am I getting off the chain here?  Can't help it.  I just completed my second cheese class at the Institut du Fromage and it has me on fire.  I want to taste and talk cheese nonstop.

The Institut is a two day intensive of tasting, grading, smelling, touching and talking cheese with the actual cheese makers, chemists, president of the American Cheese Society and other mongers around the country. 

Thankfully, there is plenty more for me to study, taste and learn but for now I look forward to sharing what I know with you,


Let's taste some cheese!


Salut!

ITALIAN ELEGANCE

Look up Italian in the dictionary and it must say "style and romance".  Our hand forged iron pieces molded around marble and glass continue to fly out the door.  It is just hard not to notice or need pieces that lend so much to your entertaining as well as your living space.  It speaks volumes about you and your family... and guests notice.  Whether it is the three bowl "twig" or the revolving wine bottle holder (nine bottles) they all work, and they all WOW!     Ciao!

ROXIE WATSON RETURNS

SAVE THE DATE!   MARK YOUR CALENDARS!   CALL FOR TIX

Back by popular demand with a slew of new tunes as well as all the ones you already know and love...
Roxie Watson will be performing April 23rd , 7:30 PM at the Blue Ridge Community Theater!
The poster says it all, but any questions....call Out of the Blue!  706-258-2750
This show will sell out almost instantly and it is the first in what we hope will be a series!  Tweet That!

Honey...It's good!

Things move sort of slow after the holidays in Blue Ridge so Linda and I, along with our three cats headed for Lake Mystic...my family's vacation get away for nearly 70 years.  Nothing to do there but canoe, walk, rollerblade, read and eat!  Oh yes--and sleep...the cats insisted we sleep!

J.M. Duggar--Bee Keeper

While we were there, we paid a visit to an old neighbor across the Lake who happens to produce Linda's favorite honey on the planet.  Only producing Tupelo honey, which he calls "tupela"...Mr. Duggar has it down to an art...after 50+ years of bee keeping.  So you see where my story is going...We now carry "tupela" honey from Mr. Duggar at Out of the Blue.  Delicious and nutrious, we sampled it last Saturday on some fresh chevre with roasted Georgia Pecans.

Stop in--this is too sweet to miss!

Autumn at Out of the Blue

The air is crisp, the sky so blue
What's a gourmet fan to do?

Buy Wine!

Sarah's wine picks for fall 2010

Starting from the left:

Buccella Merlot 2007 Napa: There are only 330 six-bottle cases of this fruit-forward merlot, dominated by cherries, figs, plums and mocha, in the world. Buccella has a rich palette; concentrated and dense with huge mouth-coating fruit. "This merlot drinks like a cab. It is perhaps the best merlot in all of California." -Sarah Auman

Merry Edwards 2007 Pinot Noir: "Beautiful bright raspberry flavors with hints of cedar swirl on the palate coursing over nice smooth, faint tannins that are balanced with excellent acidity." -Snooth.com

PreVail West Face 2005: The grapes for West Face are hand-harvested, and upon entering the winery, hand-sorted and then gravity fed directly into oak tanks for seven days of cold soaking. After primary fermentation, the wine is gravity fed to barrel for malolactic fermentation and aged in the wine caves for 22 months, with an additional 14 months aging in bottle prior to release. - the Winemaker's notes  

Suggested food pairings: West Face pairs well with braised, roasted or barbequed meats such as chicken, red meat, fish lamb or pork. Pastas, stews or well-aged medium and strong-flavored cheeses such as Tellagio also pair nicely.

Hallek Vineyard 2006 Pinot Noir:Much tighter than the flamboyant 2005 Farm bottling, this one should prove bigger as well, and for the time being its aromas of floral-accented strawberry, dry rose and dried orange peel lag slightly behind its 
rich vanilla, smoke and earth notes. It is round, rich and firmly structured on the palate, showing polish and style, but plenty of tannin and strength as well. The finish is long and dense, with emerging cherry, boysenberry, vanilla and earth notes. This 
is a very fine and obviously ageworthy bottling, but it may take a year or two to become as forthcoming as last years version. - Don Gillette at Napa Valley Wine Exchange




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Dress Up Your Home with Autumn Colors

The store is overflowing with new offerings to help you celebrate fall in style. New French linens from Couleur Nature charm in 90" circles of Burnt Orange, Kiwi, Rouge and Dijon. Hemp-stitched edging adds an elegant touch as well as the companion 22" square napkins.

Start a conversation at dinner with Revol Collection "Froisses"

Hey! Who smashed my cup?

These are the hippest new kids on the block. The crumpled and stackable tumblers in Revol's Froisses Collection are designed for hot beverages, appetizers, tapas, French fries and desserts. Revol porcelain is the cream of the crop of culinary-grade porcelain, containing neither cadmium nor lead. It is fired at an ultra-high temperature (2408 F), making it nonporous and 100 percent hygienic. Revol porcelain will not absorb fats, odors or bacteria. The exceptionally hard material of Revol porcelain is resistant to chipping and thermal shock. The fine art of Revol porcelain is also a science, perfected and practiced as a family-run company in Saint-Uze, France since 1789. Playful, contemporary Froisses porcelain is oven, freezer, microwave, and dishwasher safe. Imported from France.

August Wine Tasting

Did you miss the Wine Tasting last month during the Blue Ridge Downtown Block Party? Not to worry, here's a SHORT video that's *almost* as good as the real thing.

Out of the Blue: Summer Blockbuster!

Let us Give Thanks for...

Black Chocolate Stout
The imperial ale favored by Catherine the Great; this three mash brew boasts two centuries of perfection. This chocolate version is a luscious dark blend of specially roasted malts. Serve it in a snifter with chocolate desserts, cheesecake, fruit tarts or ice cream. Black Chocolate Stout is only offered once a year as a seasonal treat; its limited availability makes it fit for a queen (or king).



Columbia Winery Cellarmasters Riesling A perfect pairing for a Thanksgiving meal! The textures are smooth and light but with complex characters making this white a delightful companion to the traditional root vegetables served at holiday meals. It might even rescue an over-cooked bird and the chef. The Senior Editor at Cork Review offered this helpful insight: "Want to be rich, lose weight, and look good naked? Buy this wine."


Beaujolais Nouveau by Georges Deboeuf
This special offering from Georges Duboeuf, the King of Beaujolais, is not released until the third Thursday of November just in time for the holidays. Wine Spectator finds this year's vintage to be exceptional:

...."the wines displayed good concentration, with more strawberry and dark berry and cherry fruit than in past years. Additionally, there was fresh acidity, and it was well-integrated, without rendering the wines too crisp.

Franck Duboeuf, proprietor of Georges Duboeuf, the négociant his father founded, called the vintage superb. "In 2003 and 2005 we thought we were lucky to see such grapes in our lifetimes," he said at a New York promotional event. "But these [vintages] were surpassed in 2009."

Duboeuf said many factors contributed to the success of the vintage, but very dry and warm weather in August was key to promoting fuller physiological maturity in the grapes. He also noted that "fantastic weather conditions" during harvest, which began very early, Aug. 25, afforded growers and pickers lots of time to bring in healthy fruit, without any sorting."

Try the Beaujolais Nouveau as a special treat to accompany poultry, cheeses and desserts.


ChocoVine This is bliss. Cabernet Savignon and Dutch chocolate blended into a lush velvety taste experience. This is a favorite item at Out of the Blue; North Georgia's top seller of ChocoVine. Ask for a taste on your next visit to the store and you'll smile too....


Cheese! Out of the Blue has an exceptional selection of fine cheeses and Fra'mani Handcrafted Salumi The Cabot Clothbound Cheddar is a Gold Medal Winner at the World Cheese Awards. Thanks to a partnership between Cabot and Jasper Hill Farm, a small artisan start-up helmed by brothers Andy and Mateo Kehler, this cheese and others allow farmers a better return than what was possible with milk alone. And artisan cheeses allow farmers to stay solvent while also supporting the local economy. But the proof is in the tasting; this cheddar is the best.

The Penguin You love sodas, so do your children. But you don't want additives, preservatives, phony colorants, sweeteners and flavors. Enter the best dressed fellow in town. The Penguin transforms water into sparkling water or soda without batteries or electricity.You control the amount of carbonation by pushing the carbonating lever downward several times until you hear the penquin chirp. One chirp means the water is lightly carbonated; five chirps will make super-fizzy seltzer. In addition to sparkling water and seltzer, the Penguin enables you to be a soda mixologist with over 25 regular, diet and caffeine-free soda flavors

Our unofficial independent survey results: the Penguin's fizz is the coolest fizz this holiday.

We wish everyone a very blessed Thanksgiving,

Sarah & Co.

Savannah Bee - October 24th

It has been a very busy slide into fall at Out of the Blue.
We have been very fortunate to stay so busy with all our new products,
and many more on the way..so stay in touch and stop in to sample with us on
any Saturday.

Speaking of Sampling Saturdays, Savannah Bee is coming to visit on October 24th.
This great Georgia company has put honey on the map again with monofloral
and organic offerings that completely transform cheeses, teas and grilling marinades.
We all gotta eat, and as my frind Hansi says, "life is too short for boring food" so come
sweeten it up-naturally with Savannah Bee at Out of the Blue, October 24 th noon until 4 PM.

See you all then.

Salut,

Sarah & Co.

September 5th Beer Tasting

Join us at Out of the Blue for our first BEER TASTING

Saturday, September 5th from noon until 4 PM . Let Jeremy Dunn, our Guru of Beer Awareness introduce you to the depths and differences offered by hand crafted micro-brews. We will even be pouring ORGANIC ales and GLUTEN free beers...Something for everyone!

Raise your glass!

Out of the Blue

Saturday

September 5 th

Noon until 4 PM

Tiny bubbles...

Want to turn regular tap water into Perrier or San Pellegrino for pennies a glass? So did I! But most of the gadgets and compression tools I found felt either extremely cheap or felt like they belonged in a hardware store. But not this baby!

You have to stop by the store and check out a refreshing demo of our new Penguin. This arctic bird will not only dazzle and amaze, but will keep you in plain or flavored carbonation for next to nothing using your own tap or filtered water. I can't stop drinking the stuff...it's THAT GOOD!

The complete kit comes with two CO2 carbonators, two glass carafes, and of course the Penguin carbonation system. We are the exclusive Penguin dealer in North Georgia and it fits right in at Out of the Blue. No waste, no fuss. We'll even recycle the CO2 cans for you!

The tiny bubbles are flowing at Out of the Blue, so what are you waiting for?

Greater Tuna...

Join us at the Blue Ridge Community Theater August 27, 28, 29, 30 and September 3, 4, & 5 and be a part of the most hilarious "fun-raiser" ever! Starring Pat Ashton and our own B.T. Bean, together again after 19 years.

Tickets are $15 per person and the proceeds go towards the purchase and completion of the new theatre. Out of the Blue is donating the wine, so it won't just be great, it'll be GREATER!

Look forward to seeing you there -

Sarah

Look up and smile...

Have you ever wondered why people seem to color coordinate their umbrellas to the weather?  When it's black and grey outside, all you'll see are grey expressions on faces hiding beneath black umbrellas.  Where's the fun in that?  Why spend all that time praying for rain just to hide under a boring umbrella?  Come into the store and look what's hanging from our ceiling.  We have the most beautiful collection of umbrellas you'll ever find...the kind that'll make you happy it's raining!  So leave your black umbrella in the trunk for emergencies and add some color to life's colorless days.  Here's a peak...

 

Also, we have a special USA vs. France wine tasting this Friday, August 7th at 6:00 PM.  Please be sure to call or email us to RSVP.  It's the best deal in Blue Ridge for only $10...and a ton of fun too!

See you in Blue Ridge!

Sarah

Incredible feta...

Guest Blogger: Hans Rueffert

For much of my life, Feta cheese was just that dry, crumbly stuff that was methodically lumped atop salads at Greek restaurants. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't noteworthy either. A few years ago, however, my friend Kasra introduced me to REAL feta in the form of a brined variety from Bulgaria. He served me a plate of feta cubes surrounded by fresh basil leaves and slices of radish. Amazing. My sense of geography gets a little fuzzy when it comes to Bulgaria, but damn it's some good cheese. It was, I believed at the time, the Holy Grail of feta; dry yet creamy, salty with sweet after notes. Could it get any better?

YES!!! Leave it to Out of the Blue to find and procure an amazing feta from Mountain View Cheesery. The Bulgarians have been trumped by the Alabamians! The coriander and lavender from my Out of the Blue salt really makes the cheese sing and you may find you've eaten the entire jar before you even realize what's going on. The stuff sells out faster than oxygen on Mars, so you may have to put in a special request to make sure Sarah sets some aside for you. Believe me, it'll be worth the wait.

Gesundheit! See you at Out of the Blue

Hans Rueffert

New Products from Old Friends

When we started Out of the Blue almost five years ago, one of the first products Linda and I chose was a line of table linens from France. We continue to carry Couleur Nature because of the quality, ease of use, and consistently beautiful patterns and colors they create. Twice a year they deliver new designs which have just arrived! Stop by and check them out. See why we loved them then, and we love them even more now.

Deborah Chapman, friend and inspirational owner of Tin Woodsman Pewter has expanded her beautiful and functional line to include handmade ceramic canister sets and coffee canisters embossed with their signature hammered lead free pewter designs. Soon you will see them on Paula Deen's show- just remember you saw them here first! Like all the measuring spoons and cups gracing her counter tops on TV. All products handmade in America, all functional, all beautiful, all in stock.

Our book signing with Chef Hans Rueffert earlier in the month was a HUGE success and a great afternoon of reconnecting with old friends and visiting with new ones. We sold over 100 books in under 4 hours! If you were unable to make it to the signing, just give a call, email, or order online your own copy. Make sure you tell Hans how to personalize your beautiful cookbook so you can start enjoying these delicious, healthy recipes right away.

Not only do we know all about the products we offer at Out of the Blue, we also know the people that share our passions-the owners of the small companies we partner with. It is so easy to sell these products, because they are items you will use everyday. In this day and time it is nice to feel good about the small things we share with family and friends. 

Off and running in 2009...

Burr, when the weather gets cold we always remember to layer our clothing to make the best of the season. Well, I just returned from the International Food Show in San Francisco where I was layering flavors for two full days! The show this year was over run with chocolates and cheeses, so I guess that is this years "trend". Last year's trend was (get this) green and organic. Well, you all know me well enough to know I was ahead of THAT trend by only 20 years,

so let me give you a little preview (insight) of our coming year at Out of the Blue.


February 7 th will offer a personalized book signing and the introduction of Eat Like There Is No Tomorrow. Brand new cookbook from our best pal, and incomparable Chef, Hans Rueffert. The book is beautifully photographed by Amy Rueffert (and Hans) loaded with great, healthy recipes and wonderful text. It almost reads like an autobiography...it IS an autobiography. I am so proud of it, I don't know how to convey how much fun this event will be.
Almost immediately you will find new microbrews in the store and an expanded complimentary cheese assortment. I am very excited about both of those additions. The new beers are outstanding and get this, from South Carolina. The four guys that brew these beers are all under 40 and take it from me, they have the mojo to please. There are six great beers in all and the common denominator is the quality, taste and name. All three are there. Check them out.

Expanded cheese lines will continue to come from award winning Georgia cheese makers as well as a new edition from the West Coast... oh my Goodness. There will also be expanded tastings coming from Bella Cucina, The French Farm, Flat Creek Lodge, and Logan Turnpike Mill just to name a few.

Along with these amazing additions we will also be bringing in some hard salamis. A duck sausage with figs and brandy...shush don't say brandy in Blue Ridge! But, look out taste buds !
This is all going to be incredible, affordable and healthy! We are all going to be eating at home more in the new year, but we will continue to invite and share with our friends over great recipes, great meals and great company. Again, the "layering" effect we started with. Remember, to sacrifice what goes on your plate is a false economy.

Eat well, Eat clean, and Eat often.

Did I mention even more biodynamic and organic wines? Oh yes.

salut !

xs

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Kathryn Kolb - December 20th

K. Kolb and I have been pals since we met in 1988. Kathryn had been moving toward her passion for photography since graduating from Emory and I had just started working at Showcase. Even though we were on opposite sides of the counter (yes, I have always been a salesperson!) we still shared a very powerful force-passion. 

Kathryn started her career doing rock photography, at least that is how I remember it. Going to Indigo Girls concerts when they just released their first record, and going backstage with Kathryn. I was COOL! Kathryn was workin'. She always was on the crest of all music waves in Atlanta and I was one of the beneficiaries. Then Kathryn felt another current that needed her passion way more than anything she had yet put her energy behind. Trees and politics in her own town...Atlanta.  Thinking about in now, I realize it was K. Kolb who taught me that political awareness and energy starts grassroots in your own backyard. Kathryn and a handful of passionate and committed citizens crafted the Trees Atlanta Ordinance that is currently on the books. Linda and I went to a lot of those meetings and it was amazing and inspiring to see that wisp of a person (K.Kolb is tiny) in front of hundreds laying out the consequences of choices people were making. 

I was proud of her then and I am proud of her now. With the release of her new book of photographs Kathryn is ready to share her vision. Join us at Out of the Blue Saturday, December 20th from noon until four to visit with Kathryn, get your autographed copy of her new art book and be inspired by the passion.