Three Tasting Opportunities This Week!

Ports and Madeiras
with special guest Master Sommelier Max Kast

Thursday, December 13th
5:00 - 7:00

On Thursday, December 13th we've got a great weeknight tasting planned.  We going to have a sampling of some of our favorite Fortified Wines, as we try two wonderful Ports and two beautiful Madeira.  Fortified wines are wines that have had neutral grape spirits (brandy essentially) add to them them to 'fortify' them.   Most of these wines are sweet, but still have quite the kick to them as the added brandy raises their overall alcohol content.   These wines came about mostly during the late 1600s to 1700s, when people and supplies often took long sea voyages to reach their destinations.  Standard table wines as they were then did not have the structure to last those travels, and would spoil en route.  Crafty winemakers discovered that if they added high-proof spirits to their wines, they would preserve and last the ocean crossings.  In most Madeira and Port, the spirits are added at a time where they halt fermentation, and leave the wines with an appealing sweetness and richness.  These are very complex wines, not just in how they taste but also in how they are made, and how they differ from each other.  We are fortunate that we will have a true expert on hand to guide us through!  Our good friend Max Kast recently passed the Master Sommelier exam, to become one of a handful of the most accredited and knowledgeable wine experts in the country!  It is truly a daunting exam, and we could not be more proud of our friend for his incredible achievement.  Max is also our local representative for Broadbent Selections, one of the world's foremost importers of the highest quality level Ports and Madeira, so this tasting is very much right in Max's wheelhouse!   We will sample one White Port, a lesser known style that is delicious on its own but also works great in mixed cocktails; two Madiera of two different styles; and we will finish with a classic 10 Year Tawny Port.  We hope you can join us to learn from, and raise a glass in congratulations to our friend Max, and sample some fantastic fortified delights!

Ferreira Porto 'Dona Antonia' Reserva Branco

Broadbent Madeira Rainwater Medium Dry

Broadbent Madiera Reserve 5 Year Old

Ferreira Porto 10 Year Old Tawny

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Great Gifts: Iconic West Coast Wines

Saturday, December 15th
4:30 - 7:00

We have come to they time of year where most of our tastings revolve around helping you find the perfect gift for the wine lover in your life, (especially if YOU are that wine lover!).   For the next two Saturdays, our tastings will both be Great Gifts themed, as we sample wines of a higher pedigree and price point than our standard yearly tastings.  Each week we will focus on a different geographic area that the wines will come from.  We've done our best to select wines that still over-deliver even for their higher costs.  For this Saturday, we are going to concentrate on fantastic gift wines from the good old USA, as we look at some Iconic West Coast Wines.  These are wines collectors will know well, from some of the most famous American wineries.  Most of this week's selections are Californian, but we also had to pop up to Oregon and sample one of the Willamette's most renowned Pinot Noirs.  These are notable and well known wines of power, elegance, and great complexity.  If anyone is looking to get a gift for me, I'd be thrilled with one bottle of each that we are trying!

Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay
Napa Valley, California, 2017

Au Bon Climat 'Hildegard' White
50% Pinot Gris, 40% Pinot Blanc, 10% Aligote
Santa Maria Valley, California, 2015

Beaux Frères Pinot Noir
Willamette Valley, Oregon, 2016

Ridge 'Lytton Springs'
69% Zinfandel, 23% Petite Sirah, 6% Carignane, 2% Mourvedre
Dry Creek Valley, California, 2016

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars 'Artemis' Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley, California, 2016

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Sunday Mini-Tasting: Artesa Limited Reserves
with special guest Laurence O. Vuelta

Sunday, December 16th
3:00 - 5:00

This Sunday will be our fifth open Sunday of the holiday season (minus one lost to that stupid snow!).  Each year between Thanksgiving and New Year's we open Sundays to give you an extra day to do some holiday shopping.  To make it even more worth your while, we are enticing you out this week and next by holding mini-tastings:  both weeks we've invited some of our favorite guest hosts to come and open just two bottles to sample.  Going along with our Saturday Tasting, these are wines that would serve well as gifts for your dearest oenophiles, but also are very food friendly, and can match up to your best celebratory feast!  This Sunday, December 16th, we are welcoming the one, the only - Laurence O. Vuelta, aka Dr. L.O.V..  The good doctor will sample two delicious goodies from Artesa Winery out of Carneros, California.  These two wines are part of Aretesa's Limited Reserve line. The Limited Reserves are a selection of small production wines usually only sold at the winery, but using his unique salesmanship Laurence convinced his bosses to send just a touch of these wines to the North Carolina market for our enjoyment.  As with any tasting with Laurence, even when just two wines - come for the wine, stay for the show!

Artesa 'Los Carneros' Albariño
Carneros, California, 2016

Artesa Cabernet Franc
Sonoma and Napa Counties, California, 2014