All Upcoming Events

Advanced reservations are strongly suggested / No perfume or cologne please / Prices quoted are for advanced reservations / Prices may vary on the day of the event / It's always a good idea to call ahead to be sure there is space as tastings do sell out / No 'sharing' tastes / Tickets, only one admission per ticket / Sales tax will be added to the price.

WORLD OF RIESLING 4:00-6:30

Friday, August 22
We’ve been saying for a long time that we think Riesling is the greatest of all white wines. That is an eyebrow raising statement to be sure and there are certainly abundant examples of other varietal that justify the statues of those varietals as well. But what other grape can play as so many levels both sweet and dry and, unlike other varietals, you can’t cheat with Riesling. What you get from the vineyard is what you get and the winemaker’s job for the most part is to get it into the best in the best shape possible.
It is a great conveyor of terroir in all of its forms and we’re going to approach this tasting from the world perspective which means established bastions like Germnay, Austria, Australia, and Alsace, and also individual efforts from some of the lesser known sources where the quality warrants. We can’t begin to cover the world of Riesling in one lone event but you have to start somewhere. Cost is $24.

SO. of SFO, NO. of LAX (The Central Coast) 12:00- 5:00

Saturday, August 23
The Central Coast of California has been an expanding and exciting area for wine over the last couple of decades, though sometimes what exactly is defined by the term seems to vary. That’s why we chose the airport reference to sort of bracket the defined area which includes, of course, Monterey, the Santa Lucia Highlands, Paso, and all of the ‘Santas’ (Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, and Santa Rita). Given that broad a swath, we should be able to put together a really great show that is diverse and that showcases how far these regions, which back in the mid-80’s were relatively new and struggling for their own identities, have come. Of course, as it is with California wine these days, it won’t be a cheap ticket. But we’ll do the best we can. Cost is $24.

HOLIDAY SCHEDULE: DEALERS’ CHOICE 12:00-5:00

Saturday, August 30
It’s another great American holiday and, with gas prices being what they are, it’s far to suspect that a lot fewer of you are potentially around this weekend. Like we always say, we’re here anyway so why not open a few thing and see what happens. So our intrepid ‘dealers’ will have an open slate to cover a number of bases including some that may not get a lot of attention. If you are in town, and don’t want to get sunburned or end up with sand in your shoe, come and enjoy the waning days of summer Winex style. Cost is $15.

SEPTEMBER FEATURES PRESENTATION 4:00-5:30

Thursday, September 04
Another month, another show, and here’s our next installment of our monthly liquid presentation of the wines in the store newsletter, the Stock Report (such as it is). One of the best tasting deals in town, you have the opportunity to taste a variety of different wines and wine genres side by side in one place. As such, second, it is also an ‘educational opportunity for folks who are still looking to try different things and make up their own minds about certain categories and labels, making it a learning experience. The lineup changes every month, but the variety and value are always there. Cost is $10.

EAST OF CARCASSONNE: WINES OF THE LANGUEDOC 12:00-5:00

Saturday, September 06
Most of the time we simply lump the ‘Sud’ (aka the South of France) into a broader tasting that includes the Rhone and even the more loosely defined Southwest. This time around were taking a very close look at one very distinct area of the Sud itself known as the Languedoc up close and personal. A group of very terroir driven and unique appellations exist here and it is our purpose to show off as many of them, in as many colors, as we can pack into one presentation. Naturally were going to do the whole immersion thing and please these very cool wines off specifically selected regional themed foods like olives, tepanade, cheeses and, weather permitting, maybe even a couple of ‘dishes’. We may not have you speaking French by the end of the session, but you will definitely have a better feel for the tastes and smells of one of the country’s truly special places. Cost is $19, and you owe it to yourself to check this event out.

26TH ANNIVERSARY TASTING #1: A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE THINGS (STAFF PICKS) 4-6:30

Friday, September 12

Since this is Steve and Craig’s 30th year in the business, and the store’s 26th Anniversary fell mid-week, they decided to celebrate it on the early side (hint: they are a little nervous about buying green bananas these days, too). Part One of a two part series is one that has become something of a tradition, as much as untraditional retailers have such things. It is our staff picks where we give a budget to our staff to each pick out their favorite wine in a given criteria and we’ll present it at a tasting, doing the tasting at a bargain price. Their task is to pick their favorite wine up to $29. Yours is to pay a modest $14 to taste.

26TH ANNIVERSARY TASTING: THE BUYERS’ TASTING 12:00-5:00

Saturday, September 13
One of the things that has made this job a real treat over the years is that we have such a wide, diverse and open-minded clientele. Because of that we have been able to attempt developing wines and categories that most stores wouldn’t even try with the confidence that, if we believe the genre has merit, there are enough people that will try it and give it a shot. As a way of saying thank you, the buyer’s are going to put together a tasting pulling from items on the floor that are personal favorites, special finds and a thing or two from the ‘library’ and the back room. It will be a great show with a definite winex flava and, even more than usual, you will get your money’s worth. Cost TBA

¿E PORTUGAL?: THE TASTING 4:00-6:30

Friday, September 19
This has been a strange year for a lot of us, but some good things have come of it. We remember years ago we had a tough time getting much action on tastings that didn’t involve Cabernet, Bordeaux, or Zinfandel. If we had quit easily, we would not be doing some of the tastings like Spain and Italy that have become open more popular events. But more people, buoyed by the fact that they found new likes in other categories have been more willing to step out, and have found other new things to enjoy. After working for years with certain categories of wine, we have decided some of them have achieved enough of a foothold in the marketplace, we’ve actually attempted and succeeded at new agendas like the Loire and Austria. In our minds, Portugal’s time has come to step into their own spotlight. With a new wave of reds and whites performing at higher quality levels over the last few years in the Duoro, Alentejo, and Dao, plus standby items like Port and Madeira, we think we can put on a pretty darn good show here. We may not be able to sing any fados (a uniquely Portuguese song genre of longing, sadness and nostalgia, whose roots have been traced to the early 19th century, that is said to be enjoying a rebirth), and Portuguese is a lot different than the Spanish we are used to. But we know good wines when we taste them and can fire up some linguisa if need be to make our point. Join us. Cost is $24.

ITALIA 12:00-5:00

Saturday, September 20
Once again it is time to traverse “the boot” with the idea of putting together something both compelling and, dare we say the word, educational. We’re going to touch on a many appellations as we can to give those tasters who want to familiarize themselves with associating the flavor profiles and areas, wine types etc. For those of you that are more into the genre, you know we aren’t going to present a bunch of the ‘same old Italian labels’ you see at the typical supplier sponsored events, drawing from our own lineup that has both the familiar and esoteric, focusing more on estate types as our first choice. And since Italian wines need food, there will be our usual array of ‘ethnic’ nibbles to play nicely with the wines. Cost is $25.

CABERNET "HALF-BLIND" MINI-CAMP 4:00-6:30

Thursday, September 25
We decided to try something a little different for this relatively rare mid-week spin around the Cabernet selection. In the true post Olympic spirit, we are going to open this varietal show to the world at large a look at all comers from Cabernet venues as far flung as South America, South Africa, and Australia as well as our usual strong showing from the West Coast contingent (California and Washington to be specific). We are going to have a couple of parameters as a sign of the times. In this event we are going to have an upper limit of $30-35 on the prices of the wines we pour, allowing us to focus on what is in most people’s ‘wheelhouse’ and, oh yeah, as the title suggests, half of the tasting will be blind. Cost is $18.

VINOS ESPANOLES (SPANISH WINES) 12:00-5:00

Saturday, September 27
This will be the final show this year and, even if it sounds like a broken record, this category is really strong right now at virtually every conceivable price range. Were going to put our best foot forward while still showing as broad a range of options in Espanol as we can with a mere twenty selections. As usual, we’re going to ‘bring it’ with the tapas as well as they are the perfect foils for getting you into the Spanish frame of mind. Cost is $26, this is a show not to miss. Flamenco optional.

FEATURES PRESENTATION 4:00-6:30

Thursday, October 02
A new month, a new ‘Features Presentation’, our now well established program to give you the opportunity to taste as well as read through the newest lineup from our newsletter. A fresh lineup that will have one thing in common with every other previous show in that it will feature the usual array of surprising values and interesting new items from both on and off the beaten path. Always one of the best bargains around, cost is $10.

RHONE & the SUD 12:00-5:00

Saturday, October 04
A new palette of reds, whites, and well, whatever else makes sense, as we give our last look at the Rhone sections until 2009. We’ll draw heavily on the 2006 vintage which, even though it might sound like a cut-and-paste, is again packed with exciting and well reviewed wines. This will be a good opportunity to get acquainted with the 2006 Chateauneuf du Papes as some of the blue chips are starting to show up. A seriously good show yet again with cheeses and other nibbles tailored to the region. Cost is $28.

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