AT ERICK'S CHEESE AND WINE

            Frankly, we believe much too much to-to is made of the Fall Equinox, but if you're one of "thems" that make a big deal out of it, you need to look no further than Erick's to procure some Equinox-celebratory beverages. Anticipating your thirst for some special vino, we have scoured the store and come up with some of our most popular wines to pour at our Saturday afternoon tasting bar.   Furthermore, realizing that the Fall Equinox only comes around once per year, we've just brought into the store two pretty incredible wines, 93-point and 95-point masterpieces, which by the way sell in the mid-teens. Hard to beat that!

            Our feature wine Saturday is a white wine from one of our favorite wine regions - Alsace. Proceeds from this $5 tasting will be donated to support the Avery County Humane Society's building campaign, so do your part for a good cause! 2008 Kuentz-Bas Pinot Gris ($44.99) typifies Alsacian wines - crisp and refreshing as a mountain stream from the Vosges with an aromatic profile unlike any Pinot Gris anywhere in the world. From Wine Spectator (87 points): "There's a pleasant juiciness to this light-bodied white, supporting the flavors of apricot, Golden Delicious apple and citrus peel, with a pepper-tinged finish."

            We haven't kept exact score, but this could be our best selling Chardonnay (well, Rombauer might have the numbers edge) and certainly the best value, given the price. No, not an oaky California Chard but a crisp and clean white Burgundy from the town that gave the grape variety its name - Chardonnay, in Macon.   2010 Château Talmard ($16.99) offers up a ton of ripe lemon-scented nuances with tons of fruit to balance the refreshing acidity. We challenge you to find a better Chardonnay at this price.

            Our first red wine is the decadent 2008 La Posta Cocina from Argentina ($14.99). Malbec fans will find a lot to like here, succulent Malbec blended with Argentina's most widely-planted grape, Bondarda, and Syrah. From The Wine Advocate (90 points): "The 2008 Cocina Blend composed of 60% Malbec, 20% Bonarda, and 20% Syrah aged for 12 months in 20% new French and American oak before bottling without fining and filtration. Purple-colored, it has an enticing bouquet of cinnamon, Dentyne gum, cigar box, violets, black cherry, and blueberry. Medium-bodied, round and sweetly-fruited on the palate, it has plenty of savory spice notes, enough structure to evolve for 1-2 years, and a lengthy, pure finish. Drink it from 2010 to 2016."

            Next up is the perennial favorite 2006 Bogle "Phantom" (on special pricing Saturday at $18.89, normally $20.99). From 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. Drink now through 2015."

            Rounding out the red wine sector is the 2009 Line 39 Cabernet Sauvignon from Lake County in northern California ($11.99). This everyday style red exhibits rich fruit flavors of currant and blackberry with hints of pepper on the

palate. With soft tannins, this is a great wine for an Equinox barbeque.

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