Come into our shop on any of the dates below and you’ll taste a series of wines, learning from our expert Wine Guides about the grapes, regions and styles. Not only will you be be able to gain practical knowledge of styles of wines you may enjoy, but you will also discover more wines you’ll love!

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Thursday, February 23rd

Beer Tasting 5pm to 8pm

Come in this Thursday and check out a special tasting with the two new additions to the Sam Adams small batch series.  Baltic IPA and also Cinder Bock.  Both are sure to be delicious!!

Friday, February 24th

Wine Tasting 4pm to 8pm

Since I first discovered the Vino (EZ-Gary), wines on a trip home to NJ, our customers have come to ask for these unique wines from Chile, as the wines are wrapped in burlap hemp. Packaged as it was more than 100 years ago, when Franciscan monks discovered that burlap sacks protected bottles from breakage during their bumpy trips by horse-drawn carts across the Andes Mountains, these wines are still popular in a modern world. Vino de Eyzaguirre, pronounced (EZ-Gary), is produced from the vineyards at Vina San Jorge in the Colchagua Valley, famed for its climate to grow grapes and known for wines of exquisite value. Last July, Mike discovered a distributor was available for these wines in Maryland, so we have carried them in the store since then, and have invited Amy Edwards, the regional sales manager for the brand, to come back and sample these wines with you. We have added a few new wines to sample at the tasting paired with gourmet cheeses, crackers and chocolates from Wockenfuss in Bel Air. Here is the tasting line-up this Friday and the wines will be discounted 10% by the bottle for the tasting.

Vino De Eyzaguirre Sauvignon Blanc. This is an elegant, classic Loire-style Sauvignon Blanc produced in the Colchagua Valley, Chile. The grapes are tended by hand and the vines are 9 years old. There are flavors of crisp lychee and lemon zest with hints of lemongrass, a soft touch of Viognier, around 8% adds tropical notes and roundness to this wine.

Vino De Eyzaguirre Cabernet. This cabernet is dark and violet red. Vino De Eyzaguirre Cabernet contains a finish of fresh and dried cherry plus dried plums with intriguing notes of dark chocolate and mint. On the palate, the wine is rich and well balanced with a long rounded finish. This wine is rustic and in Chile, a basic diet of grilled or roasted meats and full bodied red pasta dishes would pair well with this wine.

Amy is also going to introduce the wines from Vina La Playa on Friday night. La Playa follows Organic Growers Association Green Practices. La Playa does not use chemicals in their wine making practice. To illustrate this point Amy recently told us that most wineries use chlorine to wash the tanks, however, La Playa uses boiling water, which is recycled later to irrigate the vineyard. Grapefruit seeds are used to combat molds and mineral oil is used to combat vineyard mites. Employees also ride their bikes to work, parking their cars more than 2 miles away, to free the air of fossil fuels. Amy selected 2 wines from La Playa, one Rustic Bold Red and one Sweet Late Harvest Dessert Wine selection. Cheers!!

La Playa, Loud River, Roaring Red Blend, Colchagua Valley, Chile. The Tinguiririca River, flows from high in the Andes Mountains across Chile to the Pacific Ocean. In the spring, when the snow-capped peaks begin to melt, the placid stream becomes a raging torrent. Loud River Roaring Red, is powerful full-bodied blend of 40% spicy carmenere, 30% rich syrah and 30% peppery petit verdot. The vines are more than 17 years old. The flavor of this wine is full of expressive cherry and berry flavors with rich ripe plums sparked with spice and tobacco.

La Playa, Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc. “From the Rare Noble Rot comes the sweetest wine nectar.” This noble rot is a process when good grapes go bad, the result is a process to turn the wine very sweet, into a late harvest dessert style wine, full of honey and apricot flavors. This is the way Sauternes are made in France. The key to this wine is a beneficial fungus called, Botrytis cinerea. When the conditions are right, the grapes are left to rot on the vine, and are hand-picked at their peak of maturity. When the grapes shrivel, they lose most of their water, which concentrates the sugars and induces chemical changes of the grape. The aromas are full of these flavors: ripened honey sweet citrus, melon, apricot, nutmeg, and butterscotch. This is a great wine to enjoy with brie, foie gras and cheesecake drizzled with warm caramel sauce.

Saturday, February 25th

Wine Tasting 4pm to 8pm

Lindemans is one of the oldest wineries in Barossa Valley, Southeastern Australia. The wineries in Barossa Valley are located in the rural suburbs, with rows of homes lined in between the vineyards, with  sidewalks connecting the tasting rooms to most Australian homes. In Australia, the locals like to dine outdoors year round, and barbecue staple food items like lamb, beef kebobs, kangaroo, meat patties, shepard’s pie and white sausage links. Australia, like the rest of the Western world, has witnessed the growth of the boxed wine evolution. So, come out to our tasting this weekend and sample these premium boxed wine selections from the Lindemans’ Winery. Laura Kaminski, the wine specialist, will share her knowledge of these wines with you.

Lindemans 3L Box, Chardonnay, Southeastern Australia. The grapes for this wine were sourced throughout premium vineyard sites in one of America’s richest soil sites to grow, harvest and produce premium lots of wine. The Cawarra Chardoonay was aged in new French and American oak for a total of 6 months. The result is a crisp, oak aged and refreshing wine with nuances of pineapple, melon and tangerine. This is the first premium line of boxed wines Lindemans’ has released in 2012.

Lindemans 3L Box, Pinot Grigio, Southeastern Australia. This pinot grigio is golden straw in color with light flavors of fruit that is characteristic of wine produced in Southern Australia. Lindemans Wines are refreshing for everyday occasions and also are suitable to enjoy as everyday “go to wines.” The Cawarra was named for the Aboriginal people of Australia and means, besides “running water.” There are flavors present consisting of jasmine, pear, and crunchy apple at the front palate of this wine.

Lindemans, 3L Box, Cabernet, Southeastern Australia. This cabernet is full bodied with medium flavors of plum, crushed berries and clove. Lindemans Cabernet is well suited to various styles of foods and most social occasions. The Cawarra Cabernet is full of body and flavor and pairs best with steaks, chops and barbecue “style foods.” According to my Australian friends, try some shrimp and chicken on the barbie, with this wine.