Events
Tasting: “New World” Wines For Fall
Posted on Oct, 05. 2011 by Staff
Categories: Events
Brycen with Republic National will be joining us tonight to pour a handful of wines from California and South America that are perfect to welcome the wonderful weather that is finally descending upon us (and the great food that comes with it). It’ll be a great evening for getting out with some good wine and good company, so we’ll see between 5:30 and 7:30 tonight. Cheers,
Saturday 9/31/11 Barbera and the Goat
Posted on Sep, 30. 2011 by Staff
Categories: Events, Food, Wine
A reminder that we're open Saturday from 10am-1pm for tasting and pick-ups. We'll have an open bottle of the Damilano Barbera D'Asti 2009, a simple yet full, everyday-priced Barbera currently on our floor. Will's previous notes:
"Bouquet, petals and all, bright fruit, tremendous follow through. Mary Poppins! Mary Poppins is my inside joke to myself to mean, 'Practically perfect in every way.' This wine was awesome, medium to full bodied, balanced, easy to enjoy and tons to latch on to. This is no Pizza and Spaghetti wine, it is more a Steak or cocktail wine though it would do well with all sorts of foods. Really it is the sort of thing you just want to be drinking by the mouthful at any given time."
Tasting: Introducing The Spanish Wine Importers
Posted on Jul, 20. 2011 by Evan Williams
Categories: Events
A few weeks back, I met with a relatively new distributor, The Spanish Wine Importers, and tasted through a good portion of their portfolio. I was impressed, to say the least, with their tight focus and small, quality-driven selection; it's really refreshing to see this approach to portfolio management, where instead of casting a wide net and bringing in wines from all over the world, the focus is on a small number of artisans from a single region. There's something to be said about not spreading yourself too thin, and you can tell just by tasting the wines and talking with them that each of their wines is like a child to them.
Carolyn and Travis Vernon, who own and run the company, are UVa alumni, and have returned to Charlottesville to take advantage of Travis' many friends and connections over in Spain, to bring us an impressive handful of wines that I guarantee you've not tasted before. Be sure to stop by between 5:30 and 7:30 tonight to welcome them to the Guild!
Tasting: Rain or Shine
Posted on May, 18. 2011 by Michael Davis
Categories: Events
Our next several tastings are all brand new wines/importers/distributors for us, and I like nothing more than to give these new guys a great showing on our account! First up is Broadbent Selections, whose wines Kevin Sidders tasted at a recent trade show and subsequently insisted they host a tasting with us. Per the website, here's their 'story':
When we look for wines to import, at Broadbent Selections Inc., we have a few absolutes. First and foremost, the wine must be the very best of its type. It's not enough for a wine to please us; its quality and value must bowl us over. It's been said that the difference between a good meal and a great meal is that, with the former, you finish the meal thinking, "The food was good". With a great meal however, you think, "Life is good". And that's precisely what we we look for, and what we're proud to represent; wines that gratify not just the palate, but the soul. Yet, we do more than represent wine. We also represent the people and passion behind those wines, which is why, since we were founded in 1996, our focus has always been on family-owned wineries-on places with personality and stories, and on wines that come from the heart. Quality and character: those are absolutes. We're extremely proud of both the wines we represent at Broadbent Selections and the great people behind them.
Not sure about everyone else, but that's a lot of what I look for in a wine portfolio. Tomorrow's tasting with Broadbent will feature the best of their South African lineup, so not only is it a new portfolio, but it's a theme that we very rarely delve into---and I think it might be time that we all got jolted out of whatever wine rut we're in right now.
So, be there. Even if it's raining (which, considering the forecast, isn't too far-fetched), be there. Would you rather be cooped up at home, watching your neighborhood flood again? I thought not!
See you Wednesday evening, 5:30-7:30 at the Guild.
Tasting: Affordable French
Posted on May, 04. 2011 by Evan Williams
Categories: Events
We're holding our bi-monthly tasting tonight with Billy Keonig from Monsieur Touton, one of our favorite distributors of French wines. We'll have a handful of eminently affordable wines for spring and summer - some that have at times graced our shelves, and piqued your interest, but you perhaps never got to try. Be sure to stop by for a taste, and to pick up your wines, too! We'll have bread, cheese, oils, etc. for you to taste as well. See you tonight (5:30-7:30)!
Tasting Reminder: Stock Tasting Tonight
Posted on Apr, 20. 2011 by Evan Williams
Categories: Events
As some of you may know, about once a quarter we buck the typical distributor-guest-theme format for tastings and instead allow you to taste some of the stuff on our shelves that you've been eying, without having to buy a bottle ahead of time. And they're no slouches! This is wine we have in stock and can get more of, and are gung-ho about (it wouldn't be on the shelves otherwise!)...and it's always a great opportunity to taste-and-take. Please stop by this evening between 5:30 and 7:30 for a taste (and some bread, cheese, salami and good company too!)
Tasting Reminder: South America
Posted on Apr, 06. 2011 by Evan Williams
Categories: Events
We're thrilled to finally have Republic National back today. We'll be welcoming Brycen Downes, a new rep for us, to his first tasting - he's pouring a lineup of wines from South America to stock your summer patio coolers...a reserve Sauv Blanc, some Chard, Malbec, Cab and a Bordeaux blend. We'll also be sampling some of our cheese and a new salami from Virginia that is a new favorite of ours. Don't miss!
Tonight! 5:30PM to 7:30PM
Tasting Reminder for Tomorrow: Greece!
Posted on Mar, 01. 2011 by Evan Williams
Categories: Events
This is a first for us...Greek wine!
I've personally always viewed Greek wine, in general, as a quaint peculiarity...something that exists to fill a specific niche in the US market, just because it's from Greece. But the more Greek wines I try, the more I'm starting to realize that while Retsina may be a bit of a novelty to many people, there are serious winegrowers making seriously good wines over there. And why not? Of course, the biggest barrier to entry into the market is that hardly anyone knows what these grapes are, and even fewer know how to read the labels (insert the requisite "It's all Greek to me" quip here)...but what I've noticed is a new crop of winemakers who are taking a more modern tack, with the accessibility of both the labels and the wine.
I'm truly excited about these wines - I hope you'll drop by on Wednesday from 5:30pm to 7:30pm and indulge us!
Tasting Reminder: Clement Brown On Spain
Posted on Feb, 16. 2011 by Evan Williams
Categories: Events
Anyone who's been to a tasting with Clement before knows that it's not just a tasting...it's a schoolin', taught by one of the godfathers of wine repping in Virginia. He's been around for awhile, and knows more than any mortal should about the subject, but he's also one of the friendliest people you'll ever meet...his personality somehow always makes the wine taste even better. I always tell new members, if there's one rep you don't want to miss a tasting with, it's Clement---and tomorrow, he's got a handful of really cool Spanish wines, most of which are wallet-friendly (one is in the low $20's) and all of which are unique.
See you all tonight...Wednesday the 16th from 5:30pm to 7:30 at the Guild.
Tasting Tonight!
Posted on Jan, 19. 2011 by Evan Williams
Categories: Events
You really don't want to miss this one. I'll call it "new vintages from old favorites, plus some prosecco"...or, in the interest of brevity, "BE THERE". Kevin from Dionysos will be on hand...he has some prosecco for palate-cleansing...then, the new vintage of the Blanchett Pouilly Fume, which has consistently been my go-to for Sauv Blanc lately; next, a premier bottling of demi-sec Montlouis (chenin) from one our favorite Loire producers, Francois Chidaine. For red, the '08 of the typically brutish-and-in-need-of-cellaring Bouquet de Garrige from Caillou, which actually turned out to be lighter and spicier in that less-intense vintage, and is drinking incredibly well right now. Last is a premier cru red Burgundy from a perennial favorite house of ours, Xavier Besson. I'm salivating already.
Tasting Tonight
Posted on Jan, 05. 2011 by Evan Williams
Categories: Events
This is just a friendly reminder that we'll be holding the first tasting of 2011 tonight from 5:30-7:30 at the Guild. We often get requests to taste some of the stuff that we've gone deep on at the shop, and this is that chance! We'll have a bubbly, 2 whites and 2 reds, all of them liked enough by the board for us to buy heavy on without preorders.
Also, if you're a Wine Guild member, there's a good chance that you have some wine to pick up as well, so why not kill both of those birds with the same stone?
Special Year-End Tasting and Celebration at l’etoile
Posted on Dec, 08. 2010 by Staff
Categories: Events
Well the holiday season is upon us, with trees, lights, holiday music and dramatically increased traffic all around. We here at the Wine Guild are getting in the spirit as well, and are pleased to announce our that our last tasting of the year on Wednesday, December 15th will be a special celebration in honor of the year past and hopefully good things to come. Continue reading...
Wine Tasting: An Education on the Rhone
Posted on Nov, 30. 2010 by Evan Williams
Categories: Events
Too often, region-specific tastings focus on perhaps several different subregions or properties, from several different producers, which to me is like comparing a large SUV from Honda to a compact hybrid from Chrysler - too many variables, no control. I find that you can get the most out of the experience when, instead, you either stick with one producer across several subregions, or several producers within one subregion - then, you're really comparing apples to apples. So, that's what we're doing tomorrow: several Rhone subregions (Chateauneuf, Vacqueras, Rhone, and Rhone Villages) from a single winemaker, and because we always need some more white around here, we're throwing in a Vouvray and Muscadet for good measure. See you tomorrow (5:30-7:30).
Tasting Notes: Justin Vineyards & Winery
Posted on Nov, 07. 2010 by Evan Williams
If you made it out on Wednesday, you probably don't need me to tell you what a fun lineup it turned out to be. Like I said before, Justin has been a Cali favorite of mine for some time, ever since I tried (and was enamored with) their flagship blend, Isosceles - speaking of which, Laura brought us a little treat in addition to the 5 we were originally featuring: Isosceles. A great surprise! Continue reading...
Wine Tasting: Justin Winery
Posted on Nov, 02. 2010 by Evan Williams
Categories: Events
For the second tasting in a row, we're bringing you a lineup that comes exclusively from one producer. However, while LIOCO is up and coming, Justin Vineyard & Winery has been around for awhile and established quite a name for itself as one of the premier producers in California's Central Coast. Started in 1981, when there were less than 10 other wineries in Paso Robles (today there are several hundred), their focus is more traditional, old-world-styled wines, Bordeaux blends, etc., with that inescapable Californian pioneering spirit mixing things up. They've been one of my favorite Californian winemakers for quite some time, so I'm thrilled to have their wines available for tasting! Continue reading...
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