Two Tastings This Week

Rhône and Mediterranean Wines
from Vineyard Brands

Friday, August 9th
5:00 - 7:00

We've added a wonderful extra tasting this week on Friday evening, as we welcome Jennafer Tuffner of Vineyard Brands for a tasting of some great wines from the Rhône Valley and Mediterranean coast regions of France.  Vineyard Brands is one of out go-to importers for the best French wines, with a portfolio of riches including the iconic Château de Beaucastel in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.  The Perrin family is the force behind Beaucastel, and they have had some involvement in all four of the wines we will sample Friday evening.  We will taste one of the classic Rosé wines the Perrin family creates in conjunction with their co-owners actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, as well as a fantastic southern Rhône beauty from the Perrins' namesake label.  We will also sample two wines from Maison Les Alexandrins, a project dedicated to exploring the terroirs of the northern Rhône Valley.  When you sample these wines, you'll understand why we return time and again to the fantastic portfolio of wines that Vineyard Brands represents.

Maison Les Alexandrins Viognier
Vin de France, 2017

Studio by Miraval Rosé
Méditerranée IGP, France, 2018

Maison Les Alexandrins Syrah
Vin de France, 2016

Famille Perrin 'Les Cornuds'
Vinsobres AOC, France, 2016

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Wines of Northeastern Italy

Saturday, August 10th
4:30 - 7:00

Our weekly Saturday tasting will focus on wines sourced from the Northeast of Italy, from areas such as Alto Adige, Soave, Valpolicella, and Friuli.  This area at the tip of the Adriatic borders with Austria, Switzerland, and Slovenia, and has wines that span the styles the alpine Germano-Slavic north with the warmer, drier Roman lands to the south.  While smaller in area than the more well known areas of Tuscany, Piedmont, Sicily or Puglia, the areas around the Veneto produce more wines than any of them.  While the area's past might have been mired in large scale production of table wine plonk, since the mid 1990's there has been more of a focus on quality over quantity, and the reputation of many of the appelations such as Valpolicella and Soave has been on a sharp rise.  Overall, the crisp white wines and light bodied reds of the region are some of our favorite wines for summer consumption, and hopefully you will embrace them as well.  We will be joined by Jen Salomé of the Haw River Wine Man for this fun tasting.

Bidoli Sauvignon Blanc
Friuli Grave DOC, Italy, 2017

Coffele 'Castel Cerino'
Soave Classico DOC, Italy, 2018

Colterenzio Pinot Grigio
Alto Adige DOC, Italy, 2017

Colterenzio Lagrein
Alto Adige DOC, Italy, 2018

Tezza 'Ma Roat' Ripasso
Valpolicella Superiore DOC, Italy, 2016