Wine Talk - Tasting! Orders? and New Wine Joy

Wine Talk by Art of the Table
August 13, 2010

As a follow up from last week, we would like to continue talking about how we can best offer you the wines you desire. While we do our very best to have amazing, hard to find wines on our shelves, we can't have them all here everyday.

We don't stock a whole lot of high end Napa Cab, first growth Bordeaux or Grand Cru Burgundies. Dom Perignon doesn't find its way to our shelves for placement, but we have access to a large variety of wines we don't carry.

Just today I special ordered a bottle of Cristal for a customer. So in case you are unaware that special orders are an option here at Art of the Table, we thought you should know.

Ask anytime!

It Doesn't Have to be "Swanky"

It goes without saying you most likely aren't shopping for wine upwards of $100 a bottle for everyday drinking. If you are, kudos to you and when can I come over for dinner? All kidding aside, we as wine drinkers always look for wine that tastes "better" than the price you paid for it. We LOVE it when we find a bottle at a price that is affordable for case purchases, and drinks incredibly well.

Chateau La Lauzette is one of those wines for me. It is a Bordeaux from the west bank region of Medoc, specifically Listrac-Medoc. Classified as Cru Bourgeois, it's 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. It displays amazing red fruits and pencil lead, with lovely tones of cedary spice. It benefits from decanting, and could easily be laid down for a decade or two.
The beauty is, Lauzette is only $22 a bottle. And at our 5-15% off case purchases, it really makes it a steal of a deal. I've tasted the 2005 vintage next to many Bordeauxs at 3 times the price or more, and Chateau La Lauzette really stands up to the them all. It is a fantastic wine.

Other things to consider are wines you know you love. We do have a fair amount of change-over here at the store, and sometimes good wine gets booted off the shelf for other good wine. Understandably, one of those wines could have been a favorite of yours. They were at one point for us too (hence, the reason we carried it in the first place). We are always very happy to order that wine for you.
Actually, we do it all the time, a bottle or a case at a time!

Another thing that happens with some frequency is ordering things you have had and enjoyed that weren't carried or purchased at Art of the Table. We are thrilled when someone comes in or calls saying they had this awesome wine somewhere and they wonder if we can get it for them. Our answer is that as long as it's distributed in Michigan, we can get it, and we will do so quickly with pleasure.

...But it could be Swanky.

Wines like Axios, Dunn Vineyards, and the gorgeous Puligny-Montrachet from Burgundy aren't on our shelves on a daily basis, yet are easily some of our favorite "swanky" wines to drink, but they're dang pricey. So when push comes to shove, there are better options for our shelves, but I do get a hankering every once in a while, throw a bottle or two on an order and sit back, sip and enjoy. I'm happy to do the same for you as well.

That's all for this week.

Cheers.

Fantastic French Wine Dinner
with
Eagle Eye Imports

Next Friday, August 20 at 6:30pm, Jean-Jacques Fertal will be featuring some of the fantastic French wines Eagle Eye Imports has to offer.
This sit back and relax, it's summer! event is being held at Corez on Cherry St, where Chef Chad will be bringing you this menu, each course paired with an amazing French wine all for
$35 plus tax & tip!

Salad of tomato, melon, ham and summer herbs
Lightly smoked whitefish with pickled peaches and arugula
Steak with summer roasted squash and nicoise olives
Assorted cheeses with fruits and nuts

The event starts out with a pour of The Furst Cremant d'Alace,
a reception of sorts.

If you love French wines, or are having fun experimenting with new wine delights, this event is not to be missed
...would love to see you there!

The Staff @ Art of the Table

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