Hi Everyone,

Well, we’re embarking on the last week of February. (When I start using words like embark I know I’m dreaming of a sunny resort vacation!) We’ll just have to keep warm with the 3 red wines we’ll be tasting on Thursday and the 2 red wines on Saturday. 

For our fourth week in the countdown to spring our “This Week’s Special Offer” will feature 10% off all Rustichella Integrale Products. Delicious sauces and pasta’s imported from Italy.

There’s still time to sign up for our “Aroma Wine Class”. Stop by for details. 

Thursdays Wine Tasting – A Sangiovese Night

Non-Vintage Mosby “Lucca” – Sangiovesse/Dolcetto – Santa Barbara, California - “Lucca” is a blend of mostly estate-grown Sangiovese with some Dolcetto. Named after a picturesque village in Tuscany. Crafted in the style of Chianti Classico, this wine is rich, flavorful and lightly oaked. ($14.99) 

2004 Chatom Vineyards Gitano – Sangiovese – Calaveres County, California - Spicy plums, strawberries and raspberries, with a hint of anise mingle with a bit of chocolate and lingering fruit and herbs. Finish is complimented with well balanced fruit and spice. ($17.99)

“New Wine” “Customer Pick – Gene’s Pick” - 2005 Turlo di Salviano – 50% Sangiovese, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot – Umbria, Italy - With a rich, pomegranate color, the wine shows complex and intense aromas of ripe fruit and jam. It is rich in body with soft, persistent tannins. ($16.99)

New Wine

2007 Gianfranco Alessandria – Dolcetto d’Alba – Dolcetto – Piedmont, Italy - Dolcetto, a northern Italian varietal from the Piedmont region, is a lighter bodied red. This wine is fruity and means ‘little sweet one’ in Italian. Black plums on the palate, fresh and dry, shaped by the firm, fine-grained tannic astringency that is Dolcetto’s trademark. ($21.99) 

Saturday’s Wine Tasting

2004 EOS – Zinfandel – Paso Robles, California – Earth with spicy fruit on the nose. On the palate, raspberries and vine (think tasting the seeds of the raspberries). Wonderful tannins that wrap around your tongue and linger on the finish. This would be great with homemade Pizza. ($18.99) 

2005 EOS – Petite Sirah – Paso Robles, California – A nose of chocolate and blueberries. Rich jammy fruit on the palate with Vanilla bean and white pepper on the mid-palate, some earthiness on the finish. Enjoy this wine with a grilled burger and pasta salad. ($19.99) 

Our wine tasting on Thursday is from 4:30 to 7:00 and on Saturday from 1:00 to 4:00.

Until then – Cheers!

Paula

Hi Everyone,

Hope all is well and you had a great weekend and valentine’s day. I know I was happy to have some warmer weekend weather.

We had a fun wine tasting with Sandy last week and are looking forward to our Thursday night tasting with Ambra from F & F Wine Imports. She will be pouring 3 wines from Chile – one of them new to the shop – all from the same family of winemakers.

For our third week in the countdown to spring our “This Week’s Special Offer” will feature 10% off all Stonewall Kitchen products.

Thursdays Wine Tasting – Ambra Kash from F & F Wine Imports will be pouring 3 wines from the Echeverria Family

Vina Echeverria is a premium family-run winery in the Molina Valley of Chile. Ideally situated between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. The location of the vineyards provides ideal conditions for growing high quality grapes. All Echeverria wines are from single vineyards owned by the family. This allows for strict quality control, which they take very seriously! Winemaking at Echeverria is traditional and all harvesting is done by hand, with special care to quickly get the grapes to the winery.

2006 Echeverria – Unwooded Chardonnay – Chile - This unwooded Chardonnay is a pale yellow color with golden tones. The fresh varietal aroma, with hints of peaches, pears and bananas compliments this well balanced wine. In the mouth it is round and creamy, with some crisp acidity and a nice long finish. ($14.99) 

2006 Echeverria – Reserve Merlot – Chile - Intense aromas of blackberries and cherries combine nicely with notes of cassis, mint and pepper. A smooth and round mouthful that brings back the berry bouquet on the finish. ($18.99)

“New Wine” 2005 Echeverria – Limited Edition Cabernet Sauvignon – 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Syrah, 5% Carmenere – Chile - This rich and unique wine is rich and full of concentrated aromas. Juicy fruits like cherries, blackberries and plums are highlighted by notes of black pepper and spices. A dash of menthol and dark chocolate add complexity to the palate. Round and well balanced this wine has a lengthy and generous finish. ($32.99)

New Wine

2005 Chateau Moulin Lagnet – Merlot – St. Emilion, France – This wine has lush red and black fruit with vanilla notes. Pair with grilled meats. ($26.99) 

Returning Wine

“Rick’s Pick” - Ben Marco – Malbec – Mendoza, Argentina – 91 Pts. WS - Very juicy, with fresh cut plum and fig fruit flavors laced with violet, graphite and high-toned spice notes. Long, racy finish. ($22.99)  

Saturday’s Wine Tasting

2007 Estival – 60% Gewurztraminer, 30% Chardonnay, 10% Moscato Bianco – Uruguay – This obscure Uruguayan blend with Alsacian flair denotes Uruguay’s traditional winemaking. Its silky white tones are exsentuated by tart passion fruit and pineapple skins. The floral notes continue to flourish and is amplified with an almond cream finish. ($18.99) 

2005 Flying Cloud – Cabernet Sauvignon – Paso Robles, California – The aromas and flavors are reminiscent of blackberry and sage. The wine was made using the classic Bordeaux methods of production: fermentation in small stainless steel tanks, daily pumpovers, two weeks of skin contact, lightly pressed through a small basket press and aged in neutral French oak barrels. This is an easy to drink, fruit forward, lighter-style Cabernet Sauvignon. ($18.99)

Our wine tasting on Thursday is from 4:30 to 7:00 and on Saturday from 1:00 to 4:00.

Until then – Cheers!

Paula

Hi Everyone,

Are you looking for last minute valentine gift ideas? We’ve got you covered. From wine to chocolate or wine and chocolate or chocolate wine. We have gift certificates, gift boxes, gift items or sign up for our special Aroma Class. Whatever you do, hope you have a special day.

Until then – Cheers!

Paula

Hi Everyone,

We are happy to announce the first of our Bella Vino Wine Classes, “Unlocking the Mysteries of Wine Aromas”. Steve Fortune and Ambra Kash from F&F Wine Imports will be teaching us how to enjoy and identify wine’s aromas. Steve and Ambra will help us fine tune our sense of smell, the most powerful key to unlocking the flavors of wine. Our aroma class will feature 8 wines and light refreshments. Join us on Friday, March 13th from 6:00 to 7:30. Cost of the class is $35 and class size is limited. Please drop in or call to reserve your space.

Until then – Cheers!

Paula

Hi Everyone,

Only 4 days left until Valentine’s Day. To help celebrate “This Week’s Special Offer” will feature 10% off anything chocolate. Chocolate candies, sauces, dips, chocolate dessert wine and if one of our wine labels has “chocolate” as a descriptor – we’ll give you 10% off the wine. 

We’re in for a special wine tasting on Thursday. Sandy will be pouring a delicious Syrah, 2 Ports and a Late Harvest Petite Sirah. All of these wines to pair with chocolate.

We have 4 new wines this week. 3 will be poured on Thursday and 1 on Saturday. Saturday’s wine tasting will feature 3 red wines.

Thursdays Wine Tasting – Sandy Rozek from R.P. Imports will be pouring

2006 Morgan – Syrah – Monterey, California - Blackberry, blueberry and raspberry aromas and flavors. Some vanilla, white pepper and spicy notes. Rich fruit and a balanced tannin structure. ($24.99) 

“New Wine” Quinta do Noval - Fine Ruby Port – Douro Valley, Portugal - Bright Ruby color. Intense youthful nose with a distinctive fruity character reminiscent of wild cherries. The palate is well balanced, with intense fruit and good length. ($18.99)

“New Wine” Quinta do Noval - Tawny Port – Douro Valley, Portugal - Noval Tawny is a carefully selected and vinified blend of lighter, softer wines than those used for ruby ports. This results in an elegant, delicate wine with an amber hue which is aged in oak for three years.  ($18.99)

New Wine” Clayhouse Vineyard – Late Harvest Petite Sirah - Paso Robles, California  Glass-staining purple. Seductively perfumed scents of ripe boysenberry, plum and incense. Lush, creamy dark berry flavors are given a bitter edge by cherry skin and anise. Quite sweet and jammy, with no rough edges and impressive finishing cling. ($31.99) 

Saturday’s Wine Tasting

2007 Bitch – Grenache – South Australia – A fruity nose & palate of raspberries, peach and quince. Finishes with spicy, cloves and nutmeg. ($13.99) 

“New Wine” Samantha Starr – Pinot Noir – Monterey, California - This delicious Pinot Noir is a deep ruby in color with very good clarity and brightness. The nose is of strawberries, raspberries, and cedar with a hint of smoke. It is fruit forward with black cherries and plums on the palate. Very well balanced, the wine shows a pleasing richness and concentration followed by a fruit driven finish with crisp acidity. This is a wonderful food friendly wine that will pair well with a variety of dishes. ($24.99) 

2005 Wente – Merlot – Monterey, California - Medium bodied with ripe plum, cassis fruit & cedar flavors. Soft tannins on the long, elegant finish. ($15.99)  

Our wine tasting on Thursday is from 4:30 to 7:00 and on Saturday from 1:00 to 4:00.

Until then – Cheers!

Paula

Hi Everyone,

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow yesterday and predicted six more weeks of winter. So to help us get through the next six week – we’re going to have six weeks of “This Week’s Special Offer”. From now until Saturday, February 7 “This Week’s Special Offer” will feature 10% off any pre-made or custom made gift box. Just in time for Valentine’s day. Also in time for Valentine’s day we will have 6 oz. Gift Heart’s of Assorted Chocolates from Granite State Candies.

We have 3 new wines this week. Two will be poured at Thursday’s Wine Tasting and one is a Customer Pick that I will pour on Saturday. 

Thursdays Wine Tasting – Roz Angoff  from Vinilandia NH will be pouring

“New Wine” 2006 Cantarutti – Pinot Grigio – Friuli, Italy – “87 Pts. WE – Rich in aromas and mouthfeel, this wine offers a remarkable fullness of fruity and mineral flavors on the dry palate followed by an almondy finish, long and pleasant. ($16.99) 

“New Wine” 2006 Domaine Lucien Jacob Hautes-Cotes De Beaune, Rouge – Pinot Noir – Beaune, Burgundy, France – Wines from Beaune are well known for their elegance, balance, racy acidity and distinctive ripe red cherry fruit flavors, and this wine is no exception. Displaying a wonderful character with dark cherry and plum flavors sifting through prominent tannins to the great finish. ($28.99)

2003 Warwick Three Cape Ladies – 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Pinotage, 25% Merlot – Stellenbosch, South Africa - Layers of black berry fruit merge with hazelnut aromas and mocha flavors to create a mouth-watering drinking experience. ($25.99)  

Saturday’s Wine Tasting

LaBelle Winery Heirloom Apple Wine - This unique wine is made with only heirloom apples. Their historically valued characteristics yield a more complex wine, replete with floral notes of roses and tulips. This wine is excellent as an aperitif, with a light meal, and superb with turkey and ham. Drink this wine as you would any white wine. ($12.99) 

“New Wine” and Customer Pick by Lynda and Phil – 14 Hands – Cabernet Sauvignon, Washington State - Classic aromas of dark stone fruits and toast. Flavors of cherries and spice are accentuated by fine, round tannins. ($14.99)

Our wine tasting on Thursday is from 4:30 to 7:00 and on Saturday from 1:00 to 4:00.

Until then – Cheers!

Paula