YOUR WEEKLY NEWS & UPDATES
The polls are in and the winter season is starting to make it's presence known. Hunker down with a bottle of wine or two or three...whatever it takes to make you feel better about the weather. We'll have some excellent choices at our tastings on Friday and Saturday evening. Plus, check out our winter-weight wine recommendations! Or stop in for a personal recommendation to accompany a specific dish you are whipping up at home. Our knowledgeable staff loves helping with food and wine pairings!
FRIDAY & SATURDAY'S FREE WINE TASTINGS
Tasting Friday (4-8pm)
  • Gritsch Gruner Veltliner
  • Siduri Pinot Noir
  • Vina Sastre Rioja
  • Ferrari Carano Merlot
  • Le P'tit Paysan Red Blend
  • Cousino Macul Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Plus a Secret Sipper!!!
We are still picking the wines for the Tasting Saturday (3-7pm)
We will post the lineup to Facebook prior to the tasting.

STAFF PICKS: WINTER-WEIGHT
Patrick's Pick
Villa Sparina, Blanc de Blancs, Metodo Classico NV
A great buy for such a refreshing, floral, crisp, and toasty Metodo Classico. This is not Prosecco. This is not Spumante. This is a sparkling wine worthy of Champagne. But you can dream of Italy while enjoying this on a summer patio day or fireside in the winter to ring in a New Year!
From the Gavi DOC town of Monterotonda, the Moccagatta family plants all estate grown Cortese grapes at elevation nearing 1000 feet while the nearby Ligurian Sea draws breezes over the vineyards to cool them the intense Italy sun.
 After delaying harvest for as long as possible to ensure maximum concentration of fruit, Villa Spurina will age the wine for years on the lees to build the body and add weight. Clean fermentation in stainless steel and secondary fermentation in the bottle will finish the wonderful sparkler for any celebration. -$14.99
Patti's Pick:
Elk Cove, Estate Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley, 2017
Did you know, Pinot Gris is a mutation of Pinot Noir? It also goes by the names Pinot Grigio (Italy) and Grauburgunder (Germany), "Grau" meaning grey - like it's skin. However, if you have ever tried bottles of Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris side-by-side, you may well think they are different varietals. Pinot Gris/Grigio varies dramatically in style by region, expressing the terroir and winemaking choices readily. Very basically, if grown in a cooler climate Pinot Gris is usually dry with bright acidity and less pronounced fruit, while warmer climate Pinot Gris presents with more exaggerated fruit flavors and with slightly less acidity. The Elk Cove is nicely balanced with white peach, bosch pear, a touch of honey and good palate weight. It would play well with warming dishes like curry. -$21.99
Dave's Pick:
Santa Barbara Winery, Chardonnay 2017
Here's a wine that is comfortable in it's own skin. This wine is crafted, in that it comes from a few different sites and a portion is fermented in stainless steel while the other half is aged in mostly neutral oak in contact with the lees, but the result has a sense of place. It's mostly the combination and tropical fruit of the wood aged wine and the zesty greenness and high tone of the stainless steel and the resultant star fruit aroma that places it firmly in Santa Barbara. A fun, interesting and satisfying wine in a straight forward package. -$19.99
Doug's Pick:
Jean-Louis Chave, Saint Joseph, "Clos Florentin" 2015 Chave, a wine making family with over 500 years of tradition, is synonymous with the highly-revered AOC of the Hermitage (L'Hermitage, 2013 $424.99). This Saint Joseph is 100% Syrah and made by the same hands that produce their highly acclaimed wine but now at a slightly more affordable level. The fruit for this cuvee is sourced from an 500 year old vineyard, planted by monks and continuously farmed during that time. It expresses the gamey, black pepper, tea, and olive tapanade aromas so characteristic of Northern Rhone Syrah while also offering a generous amount of ripe dark fruit and a long long finish. This should be on your radar for the coming months as either a gift option for a special wine drinker or something to pop for the sake of loving good wine. -$135.99
Ray's Pick:
Peres Balta, "Mas Petit" 2015
Entering into this line of sub $15 wine reviews, I must admit, I was quite skeptical and thought I might only be able to keep on this trend for a few weeks before the lack of complexity would bore me into reviewing higher end wines. Boy was I wrong. And gladly so! Each time I find THE ONE, the wine of the week that meets the standards of a well balanced, flavorful, complex and a stand alone in its category, I get very excited and more entranced in the category of VALUE WINE. This week we have a wine from two Women Winemakers, made with Biodynamic and Organic grapes from the Penedes region. Pares Balta Mas Petit is a fun wine. Bright and lively while deliverying massive amounts of red and black fruit to the nose, and the palate having substantial weight for a wine of this price point. Earthy, fruity, big, and lean, this is a wine for anyone. Oh, and did I mention it was ORGANIC? -$14.99
NEW & EXCITING
WINES
Patrizi Nebbiolo D'Alba
Renato Ratti Barbera D'Asti
Renato Ratti Marcenasco
Renato Ratti Langhe Nebbiolo
Roaring Meg Mt Difficulty
Clos de la Roilette Beaujolais
Ferraton Cotes Du Rhone
Raymond Vineyards, R Collection Field Blend Red

SPIRITS
Kkada Caramel Liqueur
Feeney's Irish Cream