 Greetings!
Queen of South West France!
Returning from his trip to the South West of France earlier this year, Grand Poobah Wine Swami discovered a few new selections that have really blown our customers away. But, he also brought good news about one of our old favorites! He visited winegrower Christine Dupuy at Domaine Labranche Laffont, whose bold, authentic reds and racy, exotic whites were core wines for us and earned her the reputation as the Queen of South West France in our eyes. However, two years ago, a national importer picked up the rights to her wines and the prices skyrocketed. The wines were worth it, of course, but it still disappointed her longtime fans here in Durham.
The good news is that after an amicable split with this national importer we had the opportunity to buy their Labranche Laffont inventory at a huge discount, bringing them back to our previous prices. Now we've taken this inventory and created a handful of mixed cases for you to see the Queen of South West France at her best. A few of her wines are now so limited that they will only be available in this mixed case. All of the wines are epic!
Regularly $371.88, on sale for $275.88
twelve bottle sampler: $220.70 + tax (40% off!)
Only 17 cases available
- Domaine des Ondines - Vacqueyras 2010 $20.99
- Alberto Marsetti - Valtellina Grumello 2008 $27.99
- Reja - Quartet 2009 $13.99
- Reya - Rosso "Red 3" 2009 $19.99
- Palama - Primitivo "Arcangelo" 2011 $17.99
- Polvanera - Puglia Rosato 2011 $15.99
- Lua Cheia - Douro Reserva "Andreza" 2009 $14.99
- Tre Donne - Nebbiolo "Barbari" 2009 $20.99
- Josef Leitz - Riesling "Leitz Out" 2011 $14.99
- Chateau de l'Aulée - Touraine Brut "Intense" $17.99
- Antech - Blanquette de Limoux 2010 $14.99
- Chateau Leydet-Valentin - Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2009 $36.99
- Chateau Valois - Pomerol 2009 $49.99
- Milbrandt - Pinot Gris 2011 $12.99
- Aliaga - "Syrah-Syrah" 2009 $13.99
- Aliaga - Moscatel [500 ml] 2010 $18.99
- Marchetti - Verdicchio "Tenuta del Cavaliere" 2011 $19.99
- Domaine Labranche Laffont - Madiran "Tradition" 2008 $19.99
- Domaine Labranche Laffont - Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh Sec 2010 $19.99
- Lopez de Heredia - Rioja Blanco Crianza "Vina Gravonia" 2003 $24.99
- Hook & Ladder - Pinot Noir 2010 $23.99
- Solena - Pinot Noir "Domaine Daniel Laurent" 2010 $49.99
- Domaine de Mirail - Rosé 2011 $11.99
Rosé Limerick Contest 2012
It's time once again to get creative* and express your passion, joy, love, and desire for dry pink wines through the always eloquent, heartfelt, and touching... limerick!
From Wikipedia: A limerick is a five-line poem in anapestic or amphibrachic meter with a strict rhyme scheme (aabba), which intends to be witty or humorous, and is sometimes obscene with humorous intent.
The following example of a limerick is of unknown origin:
The limerick packs laughs anatomical
In space that is quite economical,
But the good ones I've seen
So seldom are clean,
And the clean ones so seldom are comical.
* Needless to say, we recommend a glass of wine... or two... to help you gear up (or down?) for waxing limericktic.
The Rules:
- You must be at least 21 to submit an entry.
- Multiple entries are allowed, but each must be in a separate email. Only poems in true limerick format are eligible to win, but other forms of poetry are welcome.
- Only entries submitted via email will be accepted.
- Entries must be "clean enough" to print publicly.
- All entries are due by Friday, September 7th at midnight
What can you win?
- 1st prize - $50 Wine Authorities Gift Certificate
- 2nd prize - $30 Enomatic Card
- 3rd prize - Two bottles of any DAILY-priced rosés
Our panel of celebrity judges will be announced soon. Stay tuned for more.
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Closed Labor Day
 We'll be closed on Labor Day, September 3rd, and will reopen Tuesday, September 4th at 10am.
Showcasing our fondness for juicy, dry, pink wines that are arguably the best flavor of wine during a Carolina summer.
Currently in the Garden:
Domaine Amido - Tavel "Amandines" '11 $19.99
Domaine Pinchinat - Provence Rosé '11 $13.99
La Croix Gratiot - "Roséphine" '11 $9.99 Tegernseerhof - Zweigelt Rosé '11 $14.99
Li Veli - Negroamaro Rosé '11 $11.99
Los Frailes - Monastrell Rosé '11 $9.99
Peñalba Lopez - Montecastrillo Rosado '11 $15.99
Michlits- Pinot Noir Frizzante '10 $16.99 Domaine la Bouysse - Rosé Hauterive '11 $10.99
 A portion of all our dry Rosé sales is being donated directly to the fight against breast cancer. So far you've helped us raise over $12,000!
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Real Customer Comment:
"I really love your maps! They make it so inviting in here." - Ann F.
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Tasty Tuesday!
This Tuesday, September 4th, we present our mid-week FREE wine tasting. Every Tuesday is tasty! From 5:00 - 6:30, we host this bonus tasting of three wines to get you through the early week and land you safely on hump day!
"Slow down and enjoy
Slovenia!"
 | | Winegrowing cousins, Oton Reya & Borut Reja |
While it's not uncommon for wine lovers to describe Slovenia as an "undiscovered country," it has indeed been discovered (We've checked the maps, people. It's there!). That said, many of us haven't tried a lot of Slovenian wines, and there's a rich world waiting to be uncovered by our palates! This Tuesday, we're traveling to Brda (just beyond the borders of Italy's Friuli) for a taste of two elegantly complex whites and a very Bordeaux-esque blend of Merlot and the two Cabernets - all three wines representing outstanding value and rarity. In fact, this tasting includes some of the very smallest productions we currently have in stock, and we're tremendously excited to introduce these wines to you!
And don't forget: Tasty Tuesday 20%
Mixed Case Discount!
After you taste, put together 12 bottles from our Tasty Tuesday lineup, and we'll take an entire 20% off!
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This Saturday from 12 to 3 PM
"try before you buy" at
our FREE tasting
 If all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, what would all grilled goodies and no wine do to us? Hopefully, we'll never have to find out because we've got the grill-friendliest fare for your Labor Day lunch or dinner - five exceptionally versatile wines that love partying with food outdoors or in. Join grillmaster Brut Sauvage back at the tasting bar as he takes a break from his hair raising (quite literally, in his case) car chases and wine-fueled snow ski battles to offer grilling advice and a refresher course in proper tong wielding etiquette.
(DAILY WINE: $11.99 or LESS)
 Domaine Mirail
Gascogne Rosé 2011
{sustainable} Cabernet
Sauvignon, Merlot
(Southwest France)
MUSKY & FRESH, JUICY STRAWBERRY, FEMININE
This lovely Rosé is a classic blend from Southwest France. As a spicy mixture of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, it proudly announces its origin's proximity to Bordeaux. Still showing the primary aromas of...
On Sale $11.99 [Full description]
(WEEKLY WINE: $12 to $19.99)  Hillinger "First Hill" White 2011 {organic} 70% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Welschriesling, 10% Grüner (Burgenland, Austria) HERBS AND RIPE PEARS, LOVINGLY SOFT, MEDIUM BODIED
Much like its professionally handsome creator, this wine has the relaxed insouciance of a vacationing movie star. A lovely blend with a breezy, slightly disreputable vibe, this is a great all-evening quaffer that will... On Sale $14.99 [Full Description]
(DAILY WINE: $11.99 or LESS)
 Domaine Pinchinat
Venus Rouge 2011
(3 Liter Box!)
{organic} Grenache, Syrah,
Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon
(Provence, France)
DARK BERRIES, CURRANTS, SMOKE. SMOOTH.
The vineyards of Pinchinat have been farmed for wine grapes since the Romans occupied this area 2000 years ago. The famous Venus of Aix en Provence and dozens of other paleolithic...
(WEEKLY WINE: $12 to $19.99)  Marchetti Montepulciano 2010 Rosso Conero 90% Montepulciano, 10% Sangiovese (Marche, Italy) RIPE RED PLUM, SMOKY SPICE, UNIQUE MINERAL PURITY
Terroir should shine in any wine, but when you share a name with the region of origin in which you operate, it's an imperative. Maurizio Marchetti squeezes every last drop of mineral charisma from the limestoney soils of the Marche region, in this case...
On Sale $13.99 [Full description]
(WEEKLY WINE: $12 to $19.99)
 Apaltagua
Carmenere 2010
"Envero" Gran Reserva
{sustainable} 93% Carmenere,
7% Cabernet Sauvignon
(Colchagua, Chile)
WILD SUMMER BLACKBERRIES, CHOCOLATE CHILI, VANILLA
With its origins in Carmenere vineyards planted more than sixty years ago, this robust and multifaceted cuvée demonstrates both the signature characteristics of the grape's distinctive personality and the finesse which the...
On Sale $16.99 [Full Description]
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Join us, read us, communicate with us...
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Hope to see you Saturday!
Our best to you,
Grand Poobah & the Wine Authorities staff
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We don't spam you, we practice our wine love on wine drinkers by sharing our weekly wackiness.
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Six for Sixty
deal!
 Here's our deal this month; a package of six reds or six whites for $60 plus tax. You can double down and buy two: one of each or two of one for $110 plus tax. Sorry, no other discounts apply.
Show me the six
REDS
Show me the six
WHITES
[click links to see this month's selection!]
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on the Enomatic: 
Here's what's on tap, subject to change on a whim or fancy
Whites (48˚F):
Lapeyre
Jurançon "Mantoulon"
(2007!)
$38.99 on sale
Tegernseerhof
Riesling
"Terrassen"
$19.99 on sale
Bodegas Los Frailes
Monastrel Rosado
$9.99 on sale
Esteban MartinChardonnay $8.99 on sale
Reds (65˚F): Robert Serol Les Blondines $18.99 on sale Ariana Occhipinti Il Frappato $33.99 on sale Domaine le Garrigon Cotes du Rhone
$11.99 on sale
Adega de Pegoes Setubal Tinto $10.99 on sale Hyatt Merlot $11.99 Domaine Pinchinat Venus Rouge $10.99 on sale
Podere Elia
Barbera d'Asti $16.99 on sale Hillinger Syrah "Hillside"
$27.99 on sale
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 Artisan Bacon Nodine's North Country Vande Rose Farms |
Farmhand Foods
Fresh Local Sausages
- Bratwurst
- Country Breakfast
- Spicy Italian
- Smoked Polish
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Big Spoon
Roasters
Local peanut butters
8oz Jar - $8.00 16oz Jar - $12.00
or...
- Peanut Cashew
- Peanut Almond
- Penut Pecan
8oz Jar - $10.00
16oz Jar - $15.00
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Counter Culture Coffee
- Espresso Rustico
- Farmhouse Blend, Equador & Peru
- Nueva Armenia, Guatemala
- Jagong, Sumatra
- Las Milpas Decaf, Mexico
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Archived Weekly Emails
If for some absolutely crazy reason you feel the need to re-read our previous weekly email you can now click on this link:
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Please note:
We can not be held accountable for our previous, current or future writings.
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