Friday, August 12 from 4-7pm – Goin’ Down South Wine Tasting – $5/person………..Free for Grape Nuts – Before you head to the Grove Park Inn for Sweet, the kick-off to the Asheville Wine and Food Festival, stop by Table Wine to get your juices flowing. God Bless South America and Australia for continuing to offer wine lovers terrific wines at great prices……….and I’m not talking about brands with silly names like Yellow Tail or Wild Emu or whatever. I’m talking about real-deal, hand crafted wines from family estates.
Join Dan Davidsen of Fine Wine Trading Company as we take a journey to three of the Southern Hemisphere’s top wine producing countries. Dan will also have a couple of special treats in the bag, but you’ll have to come by to see what they are. We’ll provide light palate cleansers and the perfect start to your week end. Here’s the lineup of wines:
1. Casa Julia Sauvignon Blanc Casablanca Valley, Chile – Started in just 1995, Casa Julia is a family estate with a complete focus on quality. Their philosophy could be summed up in the following words – grow good grapes and the rest takes care of itself. Low yields, green harvesting and a hands-off approach to winemaking result in wonderfully pure wines. This one might be the new best Sauvignon Blanc value in the store. It is quite distinct and singular with a lovely perfume of ripe fig, exotic citrus and subtle floral nuances.
$11.99/bottle……………..$5/glass
2. Nugan Estate Chardonnay Riverina, Australia – Alfredo Nugan is the third generation of his family to farm vineyards in Australia. He is originally from Spain, but the Australian sunshine suited his personality and his operation just fine. The Riverina region is Australia’s second largest in terms of acreage and much of the wine coming out of this region is mass produced, factory made garbage – not the case here, as Nugan has established itself as THE quality producer of the region. Their Chardonnay avoids the overripe, highly alcoholic style of many of the region’s producers and instead is nicely balanced with ripe pear, apple, citrus and spicy oak notes.
$12.99/bottle…………….$6/glass
3. Bodega del Anelo Pinot Noir “Jelu” Patagonia, Argentina – This wine hails from the beautiful, mountainous region of Patagonia in southern Argentina. The cooler temperatures and abundant sunshine suit the fickle Pinot Noir just fine, and this is a real “WOW” wine. It is medium bodied, fresh and loaded with beautiful red fruits and savory herbs. It easily tastes like a California Pinot Noir that you would typically pay $25+ for.
$17.99/bottle……………..$8/glass
4. Casa Julia Carmenere Reserva Maipo Valley, Chile – Casa Julia’s Carmenere is true to form with subtle bell pepper and herb notes on the nose, leading into a soft-textured palate of dark berry fruit, coffee and chocolate notes. Carmenere was long thought to be Merlot in Chile until DNA research discovered that it was actually an old Bordeaux varietal.
$12.99/bottle……………$6/glass
5. Nugan Estate Shiraz Riverina, Australia – Nugan’s Shiraz offers up all of the heady aromas and flavors and smooth texture of a much more expensive Shiraz. Spiced berries, toasty oak and black pepper all work together in this amply fruited, crowd pleasing, delicious wine.
$12.99/bottle……………..$6/glass
6. Nugan Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Riverina, Australia – Here’s a Cabernet that won’t break the bank, but that you’ll please yourself and your friends with. From the warm and sunny vineyards of Riverina, this one is loaded with black cherry and currant fruit with more complex notes of sandalwood, mint and oak spice. Fire up the grill, throw on some protein, pop bottle and you know what to do next.
$12.99/bottle……………..$6/glass
7. Casa Julia Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva Maipo Valley, Chile – True Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon is quite distinct and delicious with more of an Old World personality. This one is true to form with notes of black currant, plum, eucalyptus and subtle oak spice. This would work really well with steak fajitas with grilled bell peppers and onions. Yum!
$12.99/bottle……………$6/glass