Archive:March 7, 2015

March 7
Next Tasting - “Indulge Me if you will”

happy-st-pNo, we will not be showing green beer, wine or cider. Nor will we be show casing labels dominated by green. Our next tasting theme is simple. St. Patrick’s Day. St. Patrick’s Day also happens to be my birthday so I will be highlighting some of my favourite flavours for the year thus far.

The flavours on show will, for better words, showcase what I believe to be not just achingly ripping wines, but achingly super-dooper smokin-hot value for money wines. Enough hyphens you think?

Now I know Saturday March 14th isn’t quite St. Patrick’s Day, but hey, who celebrates their birthday on just their actual birthdays. Saturday March 14th will be the start of my birthday week so swing on by the store from 2pm til 5ish, wear green if you must and help me celebrate some of the best flavours so far of 2015.

 

March 6
Valley Vignerons Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2014

vv chard“There was a long hard time when I kept far from me the remembrance of what I had thrown away when I was quite ignorant of its worth.” Pip, Great Expectations.

This is quite poignant when it comes to a wine like this. The Valley Vignerons Chardonnay 2014 from Yarra Glen in the Yarra Valley is a chardonnay that we used to get 10 years ago but almost over night we changed our chardonnay style to something completely different and devoid of what we like and want. We did this because it was deemed cool and schick to drink racy and tart chardy. Rise up chardonnay lovers, your oaky, fleshy, plump and full chardy is back!!!

Yes its big, but it’s not the sort of full butter style that you would put on toast, rather a rich stone fruit with subtle hints of butterscotch that drift along the back. The palate has a good mix of both stone fruit and citrus mingling along the tongue, but be not in doubt, it is the heady white peach that dominates in the mouth.

A ripping wine with roast chicken and always $25

 

March 5
Long weekend mixed 6 or 12 - It’s about what you want!!!

boxIt’s another long weekend coming up; Labour Day they call it. And if the previous public holidays account for anything, then today and Friday should be pretty busy here in the store with everyone getting their wine and beers ready to get out of town.

So it is this theme in which this post is on.

Many independent retailers offer mixed 6’s or 12’s at ‘special’ discounted rates. A lot of the time though is these businesses want to move stock that they have had for a while and what better way to do that than to offer in a mixed 6 0r 12.

We do it different. Instead of offering you, the public, a mixed 6 or 12 pack, we would rather want to know what you like and what you want to spend. We have that info and as quick as you can say, ‘That’s about the sum of it Tim’, a mixed pack will await.

So all it will take is for you either to use email, phone or just come in and tell me your likes and budget and that empty box will soon be going home with you.

Good drinking and have a great long weekend!!!

March 4
Umberto Luigi Domenico Cosmo Prosecco NV DOC, Veneto Italy

umberto

Prosecco is the new champagne. No doubts there. And it’s affordable, unlike champagne. And it’s ACE!!!

The Umberto Luigi Domenico Cosmo Prosecco NV DOC from the heartland for Prosecco, the Veneto, is fresh and bright with soft layers of fruit and subtle chalky minerality tones is just so yumand at the magical price of $22 is simply ripping value.

You don’t have to rush in either; it’s going to be $22 until the suppliers put the price up

 

Drink now and with smoked oysters

 

March 2
Wine Bar test run with BEPS parents

The day is getting closer for the Wine Bar. Yes I know I am always saying this and I know I am sounding like an AFL coach always answering with the same trotted out line, ‘Yeah, should be 4-6 weeks‘. So Frustrating!?!?!?!?

So yesterday we took our little wine bar for a test drive by entertaing a bunch of BEPS (Brunswick East Primary School) parents to come in, have a seat and sample some of our wines and charcuterie - on the house of course. I’ve gotta say from the outset that it was fantastic to see bums on seats and stools at the bar.wine bar beps

Kicking off at bang-on 1pm we had two sets of BEPS parents making themselves very comfortable at the bar. And no sooner had they finished off their 1084 Riesling and a couple bites at the charcuterie board even more curious BEPS parents wondered in to take their place at the bar.

As the day progressed I reckon we would have had close to 30 BEPS parents through the doors - back and front - with plenty of questions about the store and how the wine bar will operate and just the general Blah Blah’s that will be the wine bar. And there was wine in glasses too.

4-6 weeks people. 4-6 weeks…..

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