August 31st, 2023
"Let's go! Le tour de france"
Wine Sale? Okay Let's Do It
Truth be told I'm not a big 'sale' person, but I guess it would be un-American to have Labor Day without a sale. How about this? Save an extra 10% on top of all existing perks and discounts this weekend.
Club members: 25% off all purchases
Mixed 12 bottle case: 20% off
Mixed 6 bottle case: 15% off
Tandem Tasting This Weekend
We are changing destinations starting this week, and headed to France for a couple of months. Yes, MONTHS! Italy has been a wonderful place for our wine journeys and there are still many regions and styles we didn't fully uncover. Saving those for next year!
Now we're craving the more familiar and comforting aspects of French wine, whether it is a glass of Champagne for celebrating the weekend or a hearty Rhone for the cooler weather ahead.
On the bar we'll kick off a nice tour around France, with a sample of several key regions. Come in this weekend to try:
Champagne Sanger Grand Cru Terroir Natal. A stunning and bone dry sparkling wine produced by the enological university in Avize. I've been missing this wine since we haven't opened a bottle in quite some time. Plus, Grand Cru Champagne is arguably the best value in the wine world!
Nicolas Brunet Coeur de Silex Vouvray Sec. Oh yum... dry Chenin Blanc from Vouvray is intoxicating. Mouth-filling and rich, but with an acidic bite on the finish, these are complex white wines with big personalities and low prices. Brunet's special Coeur de Silex is a showcase of the famous Silex soils that unleash acidity and a mineral tang in the wines.
Emile Beyer Riesling Alsace "Les Traditions". New! 14 generations of Beyer have made their mark on the region, and their Traditions is an excellent entry in to the dry, delicious wines of Alsace.
Capitan-Gagnerot Bourgogne Rouge. New! This winery owns vineyards from villages to Grand Cru level, so the sourcing for their everyday "Bourgogne" is quite special. Characteristics of your traditional burgundy - lifted aromatics, barnyard, medicinal. Classic Burgundy lovers really like this wine.
Domaine Combe Queyzaire Cotes du Rhone. I laugh because we sold this wine so fast during our Memorial Day "Sale" and I didn't think I could get it again at the same price. Recently I was able to buy the last few cases from the distributor so yes, it's back! Future vintages the price will go up sadly. This is a fantastic, extremely high quality wine that is made in a lesser known region and therefore only qualifies as CdR. A total steal under $20.
Grand Enclos du Chateau de Cerons Graves Rouge. New! "Grawv" lies in the southern part of Bordeaux, closer to Sauternes than Medoc, where amazing reds and whites are being made with the same attention to detail as their northern neighbors, but without the pretense and astronomical pricing of the 'growths'. Good Bordeaux is not usually seen as 'approachable' and that's why I'm excited to share this wine with you!
Tasting Hours:
Friday 2-7pm
Sat and Sun: 2-6pm
Tandem Club
The September wine club is just around the corner. This release will showcase one varietal and how it expresses itself in a few regions in the marvelous little triangle of France, Spain, and Italy. It's a grape that most people love, but admit it's not something that they reach for often enough. These discoveries are the magic of our shop and club.
Key dates ahead:
- Club pickup dates start Friday, Sept 8th
- A tasting of these wines and others of the theme will be available Sept 8th, 9th, 10th
- Credit cards will be processed Tuesday, Sept 5th
- Shipping and delivery will begin September 12th
Mystery Wine
In our wrap up of Italy last weekend, we also pulled out a beautiful Italian red to conclude the Italian white tasting. It may have been familiar to those who attended the Barolo, Barbaresco and Brunello tasting last Thursday. :-)
The delicious red, with ripe red fruit, hints of anise spice, bright acidity and smooth tannins was in fact Albino Rocca Barbaresco "La Cotta".
What made it a Barbaresco? In our tasting last week this was a very popular wine. The results were not unanimous, but it was the overall favorite. It was both soft and rich, with ripe red fruits and a long finish. Being a Nebbiolo, it was lighter in color than you might expect for such a flavorful wine. Interested? We have a few bottles left remaining.
Now, why it was NOT the other wine styles from the clues provided.
Amarone. The big and rich wine made from dried grapes in the Valpolicella in Italy's north east. These wines are dark in color and full of dark fruits, with hints of raisins and dried cherry notes. There is a noticeable tannin level to them, with a long and sometimes bitter (amaro = Amarone) finish.
Barolo. Quite literally the neighbor to Barbaresco in Piemonte in the northwest, and using the same Nebbiolo grape, Barolo and Barbaresco can be hard to distinguish. Barolo is traditionally more intense, more tannic, and more robust. Aromas can include tar, cigar box and rose petals. Tannins can be much bigger and drier.
Brunello. The one of the big reds of southern Tuscany near Montalcino. Made from Sangiovese, these wines are often earthy, savory, and woodsy. They can show sometimes bright red and sultry fruit characteristics, and express more tannins and less acidity than Barbaresco.
Etna Rossa. The wines of Mount Etna are characterized by intense aromatics - rocks, sulphur, smoke, and spice - and less about the fruit. Flavors can include everything from iodine to tomato leaf. They often resemble the complexity of old fashioned styles of Burgundy Pinot Noir.
Montepulciano. Similar in location to Brunello di Montalcino, the Montepulciano region makes the famous Vino Nobile de Montepulciano from the Sangiovese grape. In the last email I said that guessing Italian grapes is like a game of Clue and that applies this week as well. Montepulciano is both a REGION AND A GRAPE. Montepulciano the grape is dark in color and flavor and can make outstanding value wines in the Marche. We have one in the shop - the Fattoria San Lorenzo - it's delicious.
Ripasso Valpolicella. 'Baby Amarone'. This is a really good guess when blind tasting against Barbaresco. These wines are made alongside Amarone - the finished red wine of Valpolicella is passed OVER the recently pressed Amarone skins - giving the 'repass' name. The wines are not nearly as full bodied and intense as Amarone, but their bright red fruit character, medium tannins, and long and sometimes bitter finish can be confused with Barbaresco.
Vin Santo. This is in fact a very sweet white wine that turns orange or brown as it ages. They are hard to make, quite rare, and increasingly expensive.
Congrats to Steven (Wine Director at Mustard Seed) and Rebecca for your correct guesses. Come in next time for a free tasting!
Other Very Important News
Updated Business Hours
In a recent email I said that confirming our hours will be a near-term goal. This might come as a surprise to you, but we are reducing, not increasing our hours. This extra time during the week will allow us to make the weekend tasting experience that much better for you. It will also allow us to have Thursday evening open for the tasting events like the amazing Big Bs of Italy, which sold out and was a real hit with guests.
Hours starting next week:
Monday Closed
Tue - Thur By appointment only
Friday 2-7pm
Saturday 2-6pm
Sunday 2-6pm
We are available by phone or text and we are happy to open the door for you if you need something in a pinch. (530) 238-5566.
Biweekly Tasting Schedule
We are going to spread out the themes to bi-weekly... defined here as 'every other week'. Again, our focus is on making the tasting experiences better and better. An 'every other week' format will also give us room for extra events in between themed tastings.
Coming Soon: Even Bigger News
"Gee whiz Ryan, why all the changes for the hours and tasting schedule?"
Excellent question....
The wine education survey we conducted in July was informative and inspiring, and helped us understand that our downtown wine shop has much more to offer. The results also guided us to pursue things we are truly good at and therefore make the time and space to prioritize those things.
For those who have asked about our business plans, or completed the survey, I have alluded to some of our long term goals. I am giddy with excitement to showcase a new part of Wines in Tandem in just a few weeks.
This part of our business has peaked its head in just a bit, but hasn't been given full attention it deserves. Stay tuned for more...
With that, we'll see you in the shop!
Cheers,
Ryan and Emma
august 24th, 2023
"Italy's best kept secrets"
Italy's Best Kept Secrets: Their white wines!
This is our last weekend featuring Italy, so pay attention white wine lovers! We'll pour some summertime favorites that you've possibly tried already and open several new selections that we're excited to feature.
We have loved exploring Italy with you this summer, and the feedback has been clear. Discovering the white wines of Italy, even for red wine lovers, has made a huge difference in your wine preferences this summer. There's more to Italy than Pinot Grigio!
Pro challenge, even for the haters: The best thing to take away from this weekend is find a new favorite white wine that you stash in the fridge for any day over 93 degrees. You know... that temperature where it's actually pleasant outside at dinnertime? I bet you $5 it will be gone in a week :-)
Tastings are just $15 and are available:
Friday 2-7pm
Sat + Sunday 2-5pm
If your eyes are rolling and waiting for me to switch to discussing reds, fear not, there will be MONTHS of sultry, rich, lucious, tannic and thought-provoking red wines ahead.
Mystery wine reveal!
Last weekend's mystery wine was incredible! The mystery was a white wine and the clues were all Italian white grapes. In the best versions, a lot of these grapes are quite similar, but surprisingly there were a lot of winning guesses. For a really great comparison, come in this weekend and try many of the varieties listed below!.
Drumroll please ... The correct grape was Verdicchio, specifically Colpaolo's Verdicchio di Matelica. Matelica is a high elevation region in Marche that specializes in this grape. Colpaola is family run estate that makes just a few wines, including this amazing wine that is a real crowd pleaser. It was quite popular last week and a big seller... even for a mystery wine!
There is an important judge's ruling on Trebbiano being correct. See disclaimer below for more:
Why it was Verdicchio:
Great Verdicchio has a bright orange fruit character and a yellow citrus zestiness. It can also have a nice medium body, good texture, and will age for 10+ years. Well-known in Central Italy, where the best examples are grown at high elevation and benefit from a bit of skin contact prior to fermentation.
Why it was also Trebbiano: *
If you are looking for a fun viticultural game of Clue, look no further than Italian grape varieties. Trebbiano is generally an average quality wine that was planted aggressively due to its high yields, but has potential to make some good wines and is related to grapes we do respect. Several of the Trebbiano clones, including Trebbiano di Soave, Trebbiano di Lugana, and Trebbiano di Valtenesi are the same grape as Verdicchio. So if you guessed Trebbiano, you also win.
Don't worry, there are no more mentions of the "T word" in this email.
Why it was not the others:
Arneis. From the northwest in Piemonte, it has also been called Barolo Bianco. It is a low acidity grape, and due to its late ripening, it develops some very interesting perfume notes.
Cortese. Also from Piemonte, but in the southeast closer to Genoa. The wines are appealing, fresh, and easy to drink. The best are outstanding, but most can be a bit too ripe and oaky.
Carricante. There was a Carricante in last week's tasting, so it was easier to exclude this one. The wines are very crisp and extremely citrusy. Often grown on the volcanic soils of Mount Etna, they can be a touch sulfuric and almost smoky like reposado tequila. The Nicosia Etna Bianco we poured last week was outstanding. A few bottles remain.
Pinot Grigio. Probably the only grape people think of when they think of Italy thanks to the success of Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio in the US and other major brands. Pinot Grigio is generally quite mild, perfumed, and has more body and color than most whites. One of the characteristics big wine brands and consumers both enjoy is it's a white wine that doesn't need any barrel aging to have substance. (Sorry, Chardonnay). Despite its global reputation, PG wasn't that popular in Italy before 1990, however the vineyard plantings skyrocketed to meet demand.
Vernacchia. Vernacchia has many versions - best have an intense minerally, salty note that develops a beeswax texture with age. Try our Vernacchia di San Gimignano ( the best version) this weekend!
Congrats to.. wow... lots of you. Janene, Nick, June, Danyal, Vic, Ian, Eric, Bo, Eloise, and Gayna. Come in for your next tasting on the house.
With that, we'll see you this weekend!
Cheers,
Ryan and Emma
August 17, 2023
"how great are wines grown on an active volcano?"
A tasting of wines from Mount Etna and Sicily
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More than just an island of wine
This week we are incredibly excited to explore the island of Sicily with you, including the wines grown on the soils of the famous volcano of Mount Etna (currently erupting, by the way).
On the tasting bar
We'll be tasting five very distinct wines, including three from Mount Etna that are so different it's hard to imagine them all coming from one place. See the complete lineup and more descriptions of each on the event page:
/events/tasting-wines-of-sicily
Pouring this weekend:
Cantine Nicosia 'Lenza di Munti' Etna Bianco. From the southern slopes of the volcano, this white wine blend of carricante and catarratto will make you rethink just how complex yet refreshing a white can be.
Famiglia Statella Etna Rosato. From the northern slopes of the volcano, this bold and heady rosé of indigenous red grapes nerello mascalese and nerello cappuccio is sure to please lovers of dry rosé that stand up to rich foods like creamy or spicy scallops.
Poggio di Bortolone Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico. From the far south of Sicily, frappato and nero d'avola are the dominant grapes, and make more fruit forward and lively wines. Cerasuolo is Sicily's only DOCG region, highlighting its distinction, small size, and focus on quality.
Antica Tindari 'Imperium' Mamertino Rosso. Mamertino wines come from the far north of the island, and were once loved by the Romans, including Julius Caesar. The rossos are charming, yet rustic and I'd compare them to very few wines. The blend of nero d'avola, nocera, and nerello mascalese is a wine style that I, personally, truly love.
Fedegraziani Etna Rosso. A famous Italian sommelier turned winemaker, Fede makes extraordinary wines from top contrade (think crus) on the north of the island. His sommelier stardom and wine quality have earned his wines placements on the world's best wine lists. A blend of ancient vines of nerello mascalese and nerello cappuccio, this is extraordinarily complex and must be tasted to appreciate.
Sicily's extremely long history and central location in the Mediterranean is still well represented in its viticulture. Today, there are more reasons than ever to explore the wines from Sicily and we've put our thoughts to words by publishing a blog on the topic if you'd like to read more: /blog/wines-of-sicily
We were very happy that people were referencing the wine details on the event page and the blog article during their tasting last week! Please continue to share your thoughts and opinions on how we can make our tasting experiences even better!
New in the shop
In addition to the many great wines we've brought in for the themed tastings, we have also been listening to your requests. For the Pinot lovers, we've put several new wines on the shelf that are sure to please. Come in and check out the Domaine Masse 'La Brulée' from Burgundy, Elevée Vineyards from Oregon, and Claiborne & Churchill 'Classic' from San Luis Obispo, CA. A new Pinot-adjacent wine is Domain Faudot's Trousseau from Arbois, France which is incredibly smooth and has a complex flavor profile.
Also, the Gewurztraminer that sold out quickly during Grillin and Chillin week is BACK. For those who wanted some of that incredibly aromatic and spicy goodness, stop in to grab a couple this weekend.
Tandem Club
Our September wine club release is coming soon! I am so excited about this next grape varietal that we'll feature. It's always a crowd pleaser, but often stays under the radar in terms of wine popularity. The September release will be ready for pickup and tasting starting Friday, September 8th.
Anyone looking to restock on the amazing zinfandels from July, now is your chance. We have about 6 bottles of each remaining.
Big B's Tasting
The tasting of Barolo, Babaresco and Brunello has filled up. The evening of tasting on the 24th will be sensational, and I will follow up to all those RSVPed next week with final details.
Mystery wine
This was the most fun mystery wine so far, in part because we gave clues about the grape it could be. This format was much more engaging than previous mystery wines, and more people felt comfortable making guesses.
And.... congrats to the winners who guessed Nebbiolo!
The wine was Matteo Correggia La Val dei Preti (LVP) from Roero, Italy This winery is just across the Tarano River from the more famous Barbaresco, also known for its Nebbiolo wines. For those who didn't come in last week to try it, we offered a list of 8 potential Italian grapes as hints and below we'll describe why it was Nebbiolo and not the others:
The mystery wine was poured right after a Langhe Nebbiolo, and one of the first clues was color. Nebbiolo is very light in color, often more orange and brown than red, with similar hues of a Burgundy Pinot Noir.
Nebbiolos are known for their high acidity and high tannins. The first sip can be a bit of a shock when you see a light wine, but then experience such a big, bold mouthfeel with laser-like intensity.
Nebbiolo is known for its explosive aromas that can be earthy, floral, and just a touch fruity. With age, Nebbiolo wines mature with aromas of tar, rose petal and cigar box. Again, not unlike a fine Pinot Noir from Burgundy, except perhaps with less 'barnyard' notes.
When comparing to other grape clues:
Barbera. Although another high acidity grape from the same Piemonte region as Nebbiolo, Barbera has a deep ruby color, and is often used to 'correct' the lighter Nebbiolo wines.
Corvina. The main grape in Valpolicella, including Ripasso and Amarone. Corvina produces a red, fruit forward wine with characteristic cherry flavors. These wines are quite delicious. There is a bit more vibrant color and ripe fruit flavor in Corvina than Nebbiolo.
Lagrein. Grown in the northeast of Italy in Alto Adige, Lagrein produces wines with big tannins and very dark color.
Nero d'Avola. Characteristic of southern Sicily, the 'black grape of Avola' produces dark, nearly purple wines with sweet cherry fruit flavors.
Sangiovese. A recent feature in the shop, Sangiovese comes in many styles including some that can be confused with Nebbiolo. The wines can be light red or nearly brown, with high acidity and harsh tannins. One flavor that separates this grape for Nebbiolo, at least for me, is a flavor and sensation of chewing on a piece of vinewood. I don't get the same woodsy tannins from Nebbiolo.
Teroldego. A grape that most people are unaware of, however I suggest trying some of the ones grown in Lodi. The wines are generally from Trentino in Italy's northeast, are deep in color, very fruit forward and vibrant wines.
Congrats to Robby Divine, Karen Divine, Jill Kasapligil, and John Sugarman for your correct guesses. Please come in for a free tasting next time!
With that, see you this weekend!
Cheers,
Ryan and Emma
August 10, 2023
"incredible values + tasting delicious italians"
Buongiorno!
We are wrapping up the Italian theme at the end of August, so take this opportunity to stop in for amazing values before we make our way to a new destination!
Italian Wine Deals Tasting and Sale
We believe there's so much great value in Italian wines, we wrote our first blog post including a few reasons behind this. A combination of history, family dynamics, a favorable export program, and lots of time all play a part. You can read the full article on our blog here:
/blog/incredible-value-italian-wines
In order to truly dive into value, let's taste this weekend!
Upcoming Tasting and Events
Incredible Italian Values Under $30
This Friday to Sunday, we are featuring 6 delicious wines under $30 from around Italy. And as a special for the value we've put together a 4 pack of the wines for just $79. Stop in to taste them all and see the complete lineup here:
/events/Incredible-Value-Italian-Wine-Tasting-Under-30
Friday 2-7pm
Saturday and Sunday 2-5pm
*Featured Event*
The Big Bs of Italy: A Tasting Tour of Brunello, Barolo and Barbaresco
Because we've recently spent time tasting through Italy, including the June club selections of Brunellos, it was clear that many of you wanted to know more about the difference between the three Bs of Italy. Brunello and Barolo are vastly different and certainly take the lion's share of the discussion, but another delicious comparison between Barolo and its neighbor Barbaresco is also worth exploring.
This tasting will be hosted the evening of Aug 24th, and there are only a few spots remaining. We'd love to see you! RSVP to this email to secure a spot.
See the complete details here:
/events/Big-Bs-of-Italy
Introducing our Tasting and Events Calendar
The online calendar is your online destination to stay in-the-know about our weekly tastings and special events. You can always access this link by clicking the Taste menu from anywhere on the site.
/wine-tasting-room
We look forward to clearer communication with you about what's happening in advance, and for you to better plan when to come in and discover great wine! Upcoming tastings can be seen in the calendar view, and in the listview if you scroll to the bottom.
In the coming months, we'll connect the featured wines to an online wine shop. Here you can dive in to more details and stories of each wine being featured.
Mystery Wine
Last week's mystery domestic white wine was a stumper! For the first time, the mystery grape variety was not guessed by anyone. The wine was a less common style of Chardonnay - ultra crisp, grown in the cooler Sonoma Valley, and did not go through malolactic fermentation (no 'buttery') and was aged in concrete and stainless steel (no 'oaky').
2021 Scribe Along the Palms Chardonnay
What makes the wine stand out as a Chardonnay? This wine should remind you of a Chablis-style Chardonnay. Aromas of both underripe green and yellow fruits combined and an earthy hint of hay or sea breeze. A body of medium acidity and lots of 'minerality' provide a sensation of biting into a tart apple and almost orange peel bitterness.
How is it not Albarino, Sav Blanc, Verdelho, etc?
The Scribe and other 'unoaked' Chardonnays can be rather muted compared to other grapes, which are much more aromatic or naturally full bodied. Crisp Chardonnay's are down the middle in terms of acidity or body, so they fall between the high acid whites - Sav Blanc, Riesling, Verdelho - and the full bodies white wines that have 'perceived' sweetness - Viognier, Muscat, Chenin Blanc - which can verge on honeyed, waxy or oily. Chardonnays are also not spicy like Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio.
That's a wrap! See you this weekend for some excellent Italian wines.
Cheers,
Ryan and Emma
August 3, 2023
"these wines request you fire up the grill"
Oh what a week! We’ve nearly completed the furnishings in the back room and are excited for the new tasting and event formats to come. There are many new wines in the shop (looking at you Kunin!) and the weather has just been perfect. As we count down the days before school begins (kindergarten through grad school), it’s time for some final relaxation and resetting before the busy-ness comes again.
Without further ado, let’s get to it!
West Coast Grillin' and Chillin' Tasting
We put together this line up to feature some of our customer favorites, plus a few new ones, to celebrate all the darn good farm fresh food that's available right now. A remix of our Signature Summer tasting, I'm excited to be bringing it back for this weekend! The lineup is a delightful mix of sparkling, whites, rosé and reds for the near perfect weather we are having.
If you're shopping fresh like we are, you are no doubt thrilled by the summer produce. Each week the tomatoes get better and better, and we've got corn on the grill every Sunday. And after rewatching SALT FAT ACID HEAT, I’m feeling like a boss in the grill again. The wines on offer are sure to pair with your best home cooking and/or summer potlucks.
At the bar this Friday and Saturday!
Brick and Mortar Brut Nature. From the talented husband/wife duo of a UC Davis Graduate and a Michelin trained sommelier, Matt and Alexis Iaconis are mastering Pinot, Chardonnay and Syrah from Northern California. They also have a real gift for sparkling wines, like this bone-dry 'nature' that is sure to awaken your palette and brighten up your appetizers.
Division Wines Chardonnay 'Un'. The two times we've poured this outstanding white wine from Oregon, people have confessed their love of Chardonnay when it tastes this good. It’s a crowd pleasing white for everything from corn chowder to fried squash blossoms.
Claiborne and Churchill Dry Gewurztraminer (new). A favorite producer in our previous tastings, we wanted to showcase another wine from C&C. This is their 'dry' Gewurtz. It's all things spicy and a touch sweet, and I can't think of a better wine for your need-another-napkin grilled chicken or jalapeno-peach-mint sauce on shrimp tacos. (Recipe from Abbie - kudos!)
Eric Kent Rosé of Pinot Noir. I can't get enough of this wine, and neither can customers during the tastings. It's just that good, and your guests will love you for it.
Kunin Pape Star (new). Our collection of wines from the Central Coast is growing, and this one from Kunin - a specialist in rhone varieties - is inspired by Chateauneuf-du-Pape, aka the ‘Pape Star’ name. Red and dark berries, with quintessential herbs and smoke and just a touch meaty.
Three Carignane Old Vine. One of our customer's most loved red wines, I am sorry it's been so long since we've opened a bottle. Please forgive me, and come enjoy this outstanding old vine Carignan from Bigelow Vineyard literally due south in the sandy bench of Oakley, CA.
Mystery Wine. Hint: it's domestic. And white.
Improvements coming to the wine shop and tasting room
We recently hit our six month mark of Wines inTandem and have learned a lot along the way. Some of these learnings are anecdotal, some from our official surveys, and some from looking at our business data.
We're using the month of August to make improvements geared to providing a better experience for you, our customers! The improvements are grouped within three categories of Club, Education, and Retail and we wanted to share them with you today:
Wine Club - Events
One aspect of the wine club that is ready to launch is our member-only events! With a small shop, it’s important that we also keep our events the right size. This means we can better focus on the wine tastings and form connections with other tasters!
We’ll soon publish an event calendar covering the next few months, but for now I want to share that the first member-only tasting is on Thursday, August 24 at 5:30pm. As part of our recent focus for Italy, we’ll do a comparative tasting of wines of Brunello, Barolo, and Barbaresco. 6 wines, 2 from each region. Some of the wines will also be available for purchase after the tasting.
Tandem Club members will receive a separate email about this tomorrow, Friday, including details for price and how to RSVP.
Education - Survey!
We had an excellent collection of survey submissions the last two weeks. Thank you all for showing up so strongly - nearly 100 of you - and to the many who clearly put a lot of time and thought in your responses. Please allow us a few months to implement the many ideas, but know that we are eager to start acting on your suggestions.
And for the big prize, we made an official selection using a random number generator,
the winner is Steve Cohan! Congrats Steve on the $250 gift card to our shop! We can’t wait to help you put a delicious order together. To all of you who have not claimed your free tasting, please come in and do so!
Retail - Discounts
We’ve had such a great response to the weekly tastings and the incentive of buying 3 bottles to waive the tasting fee. On top of that, we’ve also been including the 10% discount on 6 bottles.
(Un)fortunately, we sell our wines at competitive prices, so one of those perks had to change. We’ve grappled with which one and in the end, we’d rather change the discount and keep waiving tasting fees. It maintains the feeling of the tasting room, without pushing us into the 'discount bottle shop’.
Moving forward, tasting fees will still be waived with a 3 bottle purchase and the bottle discounts are:
6 bottles - 5% savings
12 bottles - 10% savings
This structure will also allow us to extend better offers to you when we feature new wines or have seasonal sales. Tandem Club members still receive a 15% discount on all wine purchases so the above tiers are not really applicable.
Retail - Hours
We’ll lock in our hours starting in September, and you can expect to see us open later into the evenings and more Sundays.
Retail - Loyalty
Many of you have seen the loyalty points on your email receipts from us. Those are there for a reason! Now that some of you have racked up a nice collection, we’ll announce the loyalty benefits next month. Think: perks on things you love, like food and wine!
Mystery Wine
Fact check! I was incorrect when I told people the mystery wine was from a single grape, so I will reward those who guessed either of the grapes in the blend.
Ostatu Rosado is a Tempranillo dominant ‘rosé’ from the Rioja Alavesa region of northern Spain. A natural producer that farms old, native vines, Ostatu makes pure wines of substance. When we featured the wines of Rioja in early June, this rosado was very well received! During the mystery tasting, I was confusing their rosado grapes with their Reserva, which is entirely Tempranillo. So for anyone who guessed Tempranillo OR Grenache, you are correct. And if you guessed the 2% Viura that is blended in, you are my hero.
The style of this wine that would push me to *correct* guess of Tempranillo is the fuller body, a mouthfeel with more texture, aromas of blood orange peel, hints on fresh grass or vegetal notes, and slightly bitter finish. The Grenache lends a brightness of tart red berry.
Rioja rosados are rarely sweet or juicy, can have some tannins, and their color is darker than the often pale pink roses from France. What makes them appealing is their complexity and structure, which is not dissimilar to their powerful white wines.
Winners! Claim your free tasting next time you visit.
Annie Vu - Grenache
Jeff Boothby - Grenache
Max Mount - Tempranillo
Stephanie Brook - Tempranillo
And that’s a wrap folks.
See you this weekend for the grillin’ and chillin’ wines.
Cheers!
Ryan and Emma
"Start the coals, the wine is almost gone!"