LOCAL FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COMPAGE 22 | APRil 28 MAy
4, 2011
Thanks to a new candy inven-tion, local gourmet food shop Red,
White and Bleu is serving up wine not by the glassful, but by the
handful.
James Roth, co-owner and wine director at the store, has put his
trained palate to the test this Easter season to render his
favor-ite wines not in grapes, but in jelly beans. The store has
released 15 wine flavors, delivered in packs of 10 existing flavors
of jelly beans.
According to Jessy Cho, store associate, the jelly beans have
been a big hit, and as of Monday the store had sold about 100
bags.
Cho said that many customers bought packs over the weekend, some
bypassing the wine entirely and going straight for the candy. The
candies were especially popu-lar with the under 21 crowd, who were
eager to sample the flavors otherwise forbidden to them.
Kids were really excited to drink wine in a jelly bean form, Cho
said.
Cho added that people have
definitely been coming back to pick up more of the candy to
share with friends and family as word has spread.
The idea for the candy concoc-tions came when Roth read an
article about wine aficionado John Thomass attempts to render wine
flavors with jelly beans.
I thought, how brilliant is that? And I took that concept and
expanded, Roth said
After considering doing so for some time, Roth decided to embark
upon the months-long journey of tasting wines and tast-
ing jelly beans, which took him to The Sugar Cube, a candy store
in Old Town Alexandria, for sup-plies.
Roth ran into problems, how-ever, when trying to use the very
sweet candies to depict some of the complex flavors of the wines he
tried to replicate. He found himself approximating, using
bacon-flavored beans to give smo-kiness to the blend, and toasted
marshmallow beans to lend wood flavors.
On my part, I had to impro-vise quite a bit as far as trying to
explain the rationale behind it, Roth said. Those who partake in
the candy explorations of the wine can follow Roths reasoning for
picking the beans that make up the bag, as each bag contains a card
with the recipe for the wine and what that flavor depicts in its
model wine.
But when it came to finding the really bizarre flavors that
would make his bean blends more authentic, Roth turned to none
other than the inspiration for his project, Thomas, for supplies
and guidance.
I was able to obtain dirt, black pepper, rose petal, cut grass,
and pencil shavings, Roth said, list-ing the bean flavors he needed
to capture the non-fruit flavors unique to certain wines. These
were the so-called bizarre jelly
beans that would make this proj-ect different than somebody just
simply going into a candy store and trying to recreate the
wines.
For Roth, the bean combina-tions, when eaten bean-by-bean, can
teach wine lovers what differ-ent flavors go into the wines they
enjoy, but he doesnt discount the novelty of trying the whole bag
at once.
Theres something fun about popping them in your mouth and seeing
what that flavor profile becomes, he said.
Though Easter has passed, and the seasonal clamor over jelly
beans will die down, Roth plans to keep the jelly bean wine rack as
part of the store for some time. He has created 60 combinations so
far, and plans to release his candy take on rose and sparking wines
throughout the summer.
While his project does seek to replicate the taste of the wines
in his shop, Roth is still quick to pay respect to the wines,
knowing that while the jelly beans may come close, they cannot echo
the com-plexity of flavors in a nice glass of wine.
At the end of the day, it is candy, and wine will never be
replicated by a candy, Roth said. The concept is that the
individual jelly bean shows one characteris-tic of what makes up
that grape varietal and distinguishes it.
Local Gourmet Food Shop Uncorks New Candy Creations
REd, WHitE ANd BLEU is giving customers the option of drinking
their favorite cabernet sauvignon, or snacking on it in jelly bean
form. (Photo: News-Press)
by Leslie PosterFalls Church News-Press
Cr i t t e r Co r n e r
FallsChurch News-PressVol XI, No. 7 April 19, 2001
Special Prosecutors Clean Bill of Health Clears Lasso of
Allegations
Assistant Commonwealth Attorney S. Randolf Sengel, appointed by
a Circuit Court judge in January as a Special Prosecutor to
investigate allegations of misconduct levied against Falls Church
City Manager David R. Lasso and other City officials, issued his
findings Monday, and concluded that he found no evidence of
wrongdoing. The news was met with jubilation at City Hall here
Monday.
FallsChurch News-PressVol VI, No. 6 April 25, 1996
Council Slices Deficit Down Middle: Schools Lose $400,000;
Taxpayers Will Pay 3 cents More
For the first time since 1996, the Falls Church City Council
approved an annual operating budget for the City that raised the
real estate tax rate and denied the full School Board request for
funding. By a 6-1 vote Monday night, the Council concluded a stormy
month-long budget deliberation by voting an increase in the real
estate tax rate of 3 cents to $1.13 per $100 assessed
valuation...
It is now the time for all g o o d cows to go to the aid of
their pasture.* * * * *
T h r o w it up. Pour it up It is now the time for all good cows
to go to the aid
10 Years Ago
lazy
dog. The
q u ic k
sly fox
jumped
o ve r
the lazy
d og .
Now is
the time
for all
g o od
cows to
c o me
to the
aid of
t h ei r
pasture.
N ow
is the
t i me
for all
g o od
cows to
c o me
to the
15 Years Ago
B A C K I N T H E D AY10 & 15 Years Ago in the
News-Press
Just because youre not famous doesnt mean your pet cant be! Send
in your Critter Corner submissions to [email protected].
COOkiE came to live with her family two years ago, after giv-ing
birth to 10 puppies under an outbuilding in Purcellville. it was a
cold February night when they were all rescued by a good samaritan
and then cared for by Lost dog and Cat Rescue Foundation. they
named the group Cookie and her crumbs. All the pups were named
after popular treats and now have warm, caring homes. Cookie is a
wonderfully comical, loving dog and the brings joy to her High
Street neighborhood. Cookie loves food, treats, unending belly rubs
and long walks. She sometimes volunteers to be the donation dog at
Lost dog adoption events at Petsmart on Route 50.
