THURSDAY NIGHT TASTING: NATURAL WINE 6-8 PM
WINTER ISN'T ALL THAT BAD. SOME THINGS ARE BETTER IN WINTER... LIKE HOT SOUP, SNOW DAYS, SLEEPING IN, SKIING, AND A BIG GLASS OF RED WINE. JOIN US, AND TED FROM CRITICAL MASS SELECTIONS, TO SAMPLE A FEW NEW NATURAL WINES, AND THEN GO HOME AND POUR YOURSELF A BIG GLASS OF YOUR FAVORITE. PLUS CHEESE AND BREAD!
THE WINE LOVE 2016 WHITE YETI, RIOJA
The Wine Love is Gonzalo Gonzalo and Mar Mota. Gonzalo Gonzalo comes from a family of wine makers and has seen all aspects of the wine making industry - from the industrial wineries in Spain to the small vignerons throughout Italy and France. Mar Mota comes from a family of artisan cask makers and studied oenology and chemistry in the University of La Rioja. Big believers in Biodyanamics, they've teamed up to make some of the best natural unfined, unfiltered, and limited sulfur addition wine that comes out of Spain. The White Yeti is 100% Viura, made in stainless steel. It is "fresh, salty, and musky, with the minerality of melted snow and subtle flavors of crunchy green apple, apple blossoms, green peppercorn, and fresh lemon water"... definitely a wine for funk lovers. Pair with a creamy fish chowder on a cold winter's day. $20
VIGNOBLE RÉVEILLE ULTRA VIOLET 2013, ROUSILLON
France Crispeel is the winemaker here and she revived a vineyard of Carignan and Grenache from the early 1900s in 2006, hence the name Réveille that translates to "Wake Up Vineyard". She has since added Syrah and Macabeu and makes almost a dozen different certified organic wines. She believes that practicing biodynamics brings more life to the soil and better balance to the wines, naturally. Ultra Violet is made from whole clusters of very ripe young Syrah... the result being a supple wine with loads of berry fruit and subtle spice. Funky and fresh... drink with a heaping bowl of chili and cheese, preferably after doing something outdoors, like stacking wood or shoveling snow. $24
VINYA FERRER NAR I TORNAR TXARANGA, CATALUNYA
About 10 years ago, two childhood friends decided to make wine together where they grew up in Terra Alta (Southern Catalunya). Et viola Vinya Ferrer Nar. 100% "Txaranga" which is Catalan for Garnaxta aka Garnacha aka Grenache. I love this grape and its many ways of expressing itself. Here it shows intense savory notes of sassafras and cola that is reminiscent of a vintage port. Completely natural production with zero sulfur added at bottling. A heavy duty natural wine experience that will most definitely be best enjoyed during the cooler months of the year. Warm your palate with a big glass of Txaranga... thank us later. $25
LA BODEGA DE LAS ESTRELLAS 2015 DIONISOS TEMPRANILLO, VALDEPENAS
Squirrels stock their nuts for winter and so should you... A box of wine really comes in handy when the weather won't allow you to go out. And this box is not your average box of wine. La Bodega de las Estrellas (the winery of the stars) is 200 years old and on their 4th generation of winemakers. They are using 100 year old amphorae (tinajas) to store the wine for months before bottling or boxing. These vessels provide a natural environment for the wine to develop character and soften their tannins. The 2015 Dionisos is 100% wild-yeast fermented, certified organic Tempranillo. Lively and textured red that you would never think came out of a box. $48 for 3 liter box, which breaks down to $12/bottle