Come celebrate Independence Day with us one day early on Tuesday, July 3 and stock up on some great wines for your holiday festivities. I know that many folks associate this holiday with beer, but we will prove to you that wine is an equally great beverage of choice to pair with your grilled burgers, dogs, and other All American fare.
We’ll be all over the place for this adventurously delicious tasting, and the refined Richard Mckinney from Tryon Distributing will be on hand pouring great selections that won’t break the bank. We hope you can make it! The cost for the tasting is $5/person or it’s free if you’re a Grape Nut. Light palate cleansers will be served as well.
1. St. Hilaire Blanquette de Limoux – The Fourth of July is a day to celebrate and good bubbles are the perfect celebratory drink. Consistently one of the great sparkling wine values in the world, St. Hilaire’s dry sparkling wine is bursting with aromas and flavors of apple, citrus and mild toasty nuances.
2. Mapema Sauvignon Blanc – This Mendoza-based operation is admirably run by Mariano di Paola, who is one of the region’s “Deans of Winemaking”. His Sauvignon blanc is ultra fresh and crunchy, with lemon zest, grapefruit, honeydew melon and just a kiss of oak.
3. Domaine Houchart Cotes de Provence Rosé – Jerome Quiot owns more land in southern France than any other producer, and his wines are consistently affordable and delicious. He uses 5 grapes to make his dry Rosé, and it is a super fresh and refreshing wine with lovely notes of strawberry, cherry, watermelon and Provencal herbs.
4. Vieux Lazaret Cotes du Ventoux – This is another wine from the estate of Jerome Quiot and it is a classic, juicy, bistro styled red. A blend of Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault, it displays lively notes of tangy cherry and red currant with nice peppery nuances. It is easy to drink with or without food.
5. Tomassi Rompicollo Rosso Maremma – Tomassi is best known for their Amarones, but they’ve expanded their empire into Maremma, located in western Tuscany. This is a blend of 60% Sangiovese and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and it is just pure drinking pleasure. Medium to full bodied, it is loaded with ripe black cherry, plum, currants and a light toasty oak finish.
6. Mapema Malbec – This might be the most consistently good Malbec made in Mendoza. The vines come from an 84 year old vineyard located at 3,300 feet in elevation. Dark in color and intense in fragrance, this one displays notes of ripe dark berries, cocoa and exotic spice. Perfect for a thick grilled steak.
7. Bogle Essential Red – Bogle makes some of California’s top wine values and this is the newest addition to their arsenal. A blend of Zin, Syrah, Cab and Petite Sirah, it is a big, luscious, spicy red wine with very soft tannins and a ton of flavor.
8. Caravina Cabernet Sauvignon – We’ll end the tasting with a very special treat. Caravina is the second wine of famed producer Seavey, whom Robert Parker has called one of the First Growths of California. The winery keeps some of their wines back for future release, so we’ll be sampling the 2001. Getting to taste this wine is worth the price of admission alone!