SATURDAY'S WINE TASTING POTPOURRI

            The obvious common themes for Saturday's tasting is that all the wines were produced from harvests in 2006 or 2007 in either California, Oregon or Portugal. Sounds logical to us. You come see what we've assembled and see if you can come up with another theme.

            2006 Belle Pente Riesling (Oregon, $24.99). This has been a banner year for German Rieslings after years of lackluster sales and wondering why those wines didn't sell. Now that we've got German Rieslings flying off the shelf, we decided to trot out a Riesling from the Willamette Valley to gauge reaction. Come see how good the domestic variety can be. Steve Tanzer 89 points: "Pale gold. Exotic fruit and fresh floral scents are sharpened by dusty minerality. Round melon and pear flavors offer good depth and slow-building sweetness, with subtle acidity adding cut to the persistent finish."

            2007 Banshee Red Wine (California, $12.99). A tasty blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre from Crush Pad, which sources good juice and blends to specifications. Michael Rolland would be proud.

            2007 Dom. François Lurton Barco Negro (Portugal, $14.99). A lot of winemakers are driving stakes and trellises into Portugese soil, and here's a good example. This wine comes from Lurton's new project in Portugal, on the Duoro where the best Ports originate. The wine is a blend of Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional, fresh, spicy, complex, an easy sipper. Wine Spectator 86 points: "Firm, with zesty red plum, cherry and berry flavors that feature plenty of smoke and spice. Pleasantly tart on the finish."

            2006 Bogle "Phantom" (California, $20.99). This is Bogle's top wine, a blend of Petite Sirah, Old Vine Zinfandel and old vine Mourvedre. Wine Spectator 86 points: "Broadly appealing, showing fresh, ripe berry and black cherry flavors, with pepper, tar and sarsaparilla details. Rich and ripe, with a firm wall of tannins as a backbone. Petite Sirah, Zinfandel and Mourvèdre."

            Our paid tasting wine ($5.00) to benefit the Avery County Humane Society is the popular 2007 Landmark Chardonnay "Overlook" (California, $36.99). This wine is a blend of Chardonnay juice from Sonoma, Santa Barbara and Monterray counties. Seems to work, as Robert Parker rated the wine 90 points in his Wine Advocate: "The 2007 Chardonnay Overlook (most from Sonoma County with about 20% from Santa Barbara and Monterey) offers a beautiful bouquet of peaches, pineapples, and other tropical fruits along with super-purity and focus. Medium to full-bodied, crisp, and pure, with the oak pushed to the background, this beautiful Chardonnay can be enjoyed over the next several years. The always reliable Landmark winery continues to turn out a bevy of Burgundian-styled Pinot Noirs and impressive Chardonnays. One of the best Chardonnay values in the marketplace is their Overlook."

SPECIAL UPCOMING EVENTS

            Erick's will offer the following wine classes through Labor Day. The "tuition" for each class is $25 per person, and if you enroll in two or more classes, you will receive a tuition credit of 10% on every class you take after the first. The classes will be seated presentations in our Tasting Room next door and will include generous tastings of the subject wines, cheeses and hors d'oeuvres/tapas and written materials. Reservations: (828) 898-9424.           

            Sunday, August 7, 5:30-6:30 - Wines from the Small Vineyards of Italy. Leave behind your pre-conceived notion that the "big" name Italian wine producers make the best Italian wines. We'll submit the proposition that small, family-owned and run properties whose scale of operation allows for hands-on, organic approaches to grape growing and wine making can knock the white and red sox off the wines of the "name brands".   We'll pour seven great wines, including the best Brunello we've ever tasted. Don't miss this!

            Sunday, August 21, 5:30-6:30 -- Sherry. Sherry in its many styles is alive and well and making a comeback, and not only in Spanish tapas bars, kitchens and old ladies' cupboards. Now is the opportunity to explore the many faces of Sherry - from shimmering Manzanilla and Fino to nutty Amontillado and rich Olorosso.   Sherry is a wine rich in culture and history that unfortunately not many folks understand. Come with us to learn about the many styles and taste the unique beverage from the southern tip of Spain.

            Sunday, September 4, 5:30-6:30 -- Port and Madeira.   As with Sherry, there's no simple Port or Madeira but a multitude of styles, from dry to sweet, from bottle-aged to cask-aged, from young to old and on and on. In this class, we'll explore the various types of Port (ruby, tawny, colheita, vintage, late-bottled vintage, etc.) and the obscure (and almost obsolete but fascinating) Madeira made from the four noble grapes of the island.

DESTINY DUDLEY TO POUR WINES FROM

WALNUT CITY WINEWORKS

            Join Destiny Dudley in our Tasting Room at 6:30 on Thursday, August 25 as she pours the wines of Walnut City Wine Works, the winery for which she is now national sales manager. If you like Oregonian-styled Pinot Noir, this event is not to be missed. In addition, to Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris will be poured. Reservations are required and the cost to attend is $15, with the tasting fee credited to purchases of six bottles or more.

Here is a chance for you long time customers to catch up on what Destiny has been up to since she left Erick's three years ago and ventured west to the Oregon wine country. Also, get her perspective on the Oregon wine industry.

ENJOY A GLASS OF WINE ON OUR PATIO

            Of course you can buy bottles to take with you, but we're now offering you a glass of your favorite to enjoy on the patio everyday.  We feature one white wine and one red wine daily prices vary from $6 to $8. Add a cheese and enjoy the afternoon with us!

SUMMER HOURS

Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend:

Monday - Wednesday:  10:00 to 6:00

Thursday - Saturday:  10:00 to 7:00

Sunday: 1:00 - 5:00