Put Up Your Dukes...
For a Heavyweight Wine Tasting!
It's a double-city showdown this Saturday, as two heavy hitters square off in a wine tasting fight to the finish. In the Raleigh corner, our own Pugilistic Poobah, Clobberin' Craig Heffley! And in the Durham corner, that most Ferocious Frenchman (and local wine importer extraordinaire), Bruisin' Bruno Arricastres! The outcome is uncertain, but rest assured that YOU will be a Champion, whether you roll up to Raleigh or throw down in Durham. Come one, come all! Taste magnificent wines...poured by magnificent men. Join us for this and more exciting tastings as the Year of the Horse continues!
~~~~
We'll help you pack!
In other news, our 2014 Vacation Pack deal is going strong, but it won't last forever! Two crisp whites, two luscious rosés, and two sumptuous reds are ready to accompany you on your various late-summer travels (or late-summer chillin' at home). The wines are at a deep discount, and we're also throwing in a stylish Wine Authorities tote to help you..uh.. tote'em. Pick up your pre-packed portable party today! Click here to read more and visit us us at our next Tasty Tuesday for the opportunity to sample three of the six selections...
~~~~
Extree! Extree!|
| |
Illustration by Laura Frankstone
|
Check out this excellent article on our new Raleigh 'hood in the latest issue of Walter Magazine! They have some great things to say about the new businesses in the area (including ours), and we're very proud to be part of the ongoing radification of such a cool part of town.
We would like to point out that our Durham store has actually been in business since 2007 (not 2009 as mentioned in the article) and to clarify that it is, in reality, a whopping 95% of grocery store wine which is produced by the same eight corporations. These corporations have bought or created brands to make it seem like they are hundreds of individual wineries while manufacturing the wines in massive factories. Dastardly indeed.
Fill That Bus! Help fill the bus! Each year we participate in the Fill That Bus school supply drive, and currently beside our front door, you'll find a box waiting to be filled with much needed school supplies for Durham students. Contributions of any of the following will be much appreciated:- Boxed CrayonsGlue Sticks
- Boxed Markers
- Packages of Pencils
- Staplers
- Highlighters
- Clipboards
- Copy Paper
- Notebook Paper
- Composition Books
~~~~
Real Customer Comment:
"You are the most civilized wine store."
- Pierre G.
|
 | |
"Bag-In-Box Brutalism" -Vinodrome
|
Currently at W.A. are more boxes to choose from than ever before. Our full stable of Provençal, Rhone, and Chilean offerings has returned. What's more, a new Rhone white made from Viognier (75%) & Ugni Blanc (25%) from our beloved Domaine Le Garrigon is available for the very first time, and it is positively awesome!
 - Domaine Le Garrigon - Cotes du Rhone Blanc 2013 $34.99 [3L] BRAND NEW!
- Apaltagua - Sauvignon Blanc "Gran Verano" 2013 $26.99 [3L]
- Herdade do Esporão - Branco "Alandra" 2013 $24.99 [3L]
- Domaine Pinchinat - Venus de Pinchinat Rosé 2013 $29.99 [3L]
- Domaine Pinchinat - Venus de Pinchinat Rouge 2012 $29.99 [3L]
- Domaine Le Garrigon - Vin de Méditerranée 2012 $29.99 [3L]
- Domaine Le Garrigon - Cotes du Rhone 2013 $34.99 [3L]
- Apaltagua - Cabernet Sauvignon "Gran Verano" 2013 $26.99 [3L]
And behold our glorious box discounts!
- 2 Boxes: 10% Off!
- 3 Boxes: 15% Off!!
- 4 Boxes: 20% Off!!!
~~~~
|
The ninth wonder of the world (our beautiful Rosé Garden) has re-sprouted in all it's pink, juicy glory. In fact, we have two gardens for the first time this year and a whole new cadre of gardeners to tend our Raleigh Rosé. Old favorites have returned along with the requisite new arrivals, and (as always) we will donate a portion of our rosé sales throughout the year to breast cancer research. So come shop in our magnificent garden. New rosé selections are continuously blooming, and you never know what might surface next!
Currently in the Garden:
~~~~
|
Tasty Tuesday!
Vacation Pack Sampler
PART ONE!
This Tuesday, August 19th, we present our FREE
midweek wine tasting. Every Tuesday is tasty!
For many of us, this stretch of summer is prime vacation time. We flock to the beach to soak up the sun and bathe in the Atlantic breeze or we head for the mountains to escape the insistent midsummer heat. Either way, we want our excursions to be special and filled with wonderful, memorable things. Unfortunately, most of our favorite nearby travel destinations are sorely lacking in places to buy good wine. Well, we've put together an assortment of some of our favorite vacation wines, tailored to the season and to our beautifully varied NC landscape - each at home on the beach or mountain cabin porch. So, as you pack for your vacation, don't forget our essential Vacation Pack. At our next Tasty Tuesday, come and meet (or rediscover) three of the selections in this year's vacay / staycay six-pack sack!
And don't forget:
Our Tasty Tuesday 15% Half-Case Discount!
After you taste, put together 6 bottles from our Tasty Tuesday lineup, and we'll take an entire 15% off!
|
This Saturday from 12 to 3 PM
in Durham & Raleigh
May we say "Òc!"
to the Languedoc?
Mais Ouis! err.. Oc!
The Languedoc, France's sprawling western Mediterranean reaches which curiously take their name from the fact that in their traditional Occitain language, "yes" is spoken as "òc" instead of "oui," is truly a world of wine and a world under vine! This viticultural paradise, in the not-too-distant past, was plagued by the prioritizing of quantity over quality, perhaps too conducive to grape-growing for its own good! Now, the tides have turned in favor of harnessing the potential of these southern climes and making the excellent wines of which the Languedoc has always been capable but not always been allowed to produce. Join us this Saturday as we sink our teeth into a highly exotic white value from Corbieres, a fresh Cinsault-based rosé which benefits from the expertise of a vigneron from one of the brightest corners of Burgundy's Beaune, a spicy Grenache-driven blend from the central Languedoc's Saint-Chinian, and a Syrah-starring masterpiece from the northeastern region of Pic Saint-Loup!
 | |
Join Bruno in Durham and the Grand Poobah in Raleigh!
|
Domaine La Bouysse
Aude-Hauterive Blanc 2013
{organic} Grenache Blanc, Maccabeu,
Viognier, Muscat à Petits Grains
(Western Languedoc, France)
HONEYSUCKLE & GARDENIA,
PEAR & LIGHT CITRUS
Our friend, Martine Pages is really hitting her stride. The current vintages of her various wines are among the best she's ever made. This white is lush and full but bright and lively. It's expansive and exotic but fresh - filled with flavor and fun personality...
Domaine Magellan
Hérault Rosé 2013
"Le Fruit Défendu"
{sustainable} 100% Cinsault (Central Languedoc, France)
RICH CHERRY & MILDLY SPICY CURRANT. CRISP MINERALITY
Cinsault is technically not allowed at this percentage in the Languedoc, hence this wine's name: "Le Fruits Defendu" (The Forbidden Fruit). Winegrower Bruno Lafon, a transplant himself originally from Comte de Lafon in Meursault, has brought his Burgundian expertise...
Domaine Borie La Vitarèle
Saint Chinian 2012
"Les Terres Blanches"
{organic} 45% Grenache, 45% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre (Central Languedoc, France) DARK RASPBERRIES, VERY RIPE, GARRIGUE. PURPLE & FIRM
Nestled amongst the garrigue within a pine forest, the few acres of Borie la Vitarele's old vines are treated like a private garden employing biodynamic compost made from local plants. Hand-harvesting ensures quality and the wine is aged for 12 months in French oak. Dark purple in color, with great...
Mas Bruguiere
Pic Saint-Loup 2011
{organic} 55% Syrah, 45% Grenache
(Eastern Languedoc, France)
BLACK & RED BERRY, CHOCOLATE, ALMOND, SPICES
Monks made liquor from the Arbutus berry in Corsica and brought the shrub to the Languedoc, where the red fruit dots the hillsides today. Established in 1664, this estate uses a derivation of Arbutus for the name of this cuvée...
|
|
Aka "What's in the box?"
What's in the box? Well, hopefully wine! Boxes of wine aren't, however, simply boxes of wine. They provide us with the most futuristic means to purchase our wine as well as to dispense it and up our ability to be conscientious when it comes to the carbon footprint left behind by the journeys that these wines have to undertake before they arrive at our favorite wine shops (ahem). For instance, four bottles of wine, on average, weigh 12 lbs. The boxed equivalent, three liter BIB (short for Bag-in-Box) weights about 6.5 lbs. So it's twice as efficient to move wine around the world in boxes than in bottles.
This efficiency means not only a happier planet, but reduced prices for the consumer once the wine reaches it's destination. While we certainly are not advocating a bottle-less winescape, we are firm believers in boxes as fun, tough, and efficient alternative packaging.
 | Truly Spaceage: Mylar Sachet
DuPont-developed, NASA-approved |
~~~~
|
Join us, read us, communicate with us...
 
|
|
Hope to see you Saturday!
Our best to you,
Grand Poobah & the Wine Authorities staff
|
|
|
|
|
We don't spam you, we practice our wine love on wine drinkers by sharing our weekly wackiness.
______
|
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!]
|
on the Enomatic
in Durham: 
Here's what's on tap, subject to change on a whim or fancy
Whites (48˚F):
Anton Bauer
Grüner Veltliner
"Rosenberg"
$19.99 on sale
Dr. Heyden
Riesling Kabinett
"Oppenheimer"
$16.99 on sale
Jean Paul Brun
Beujolais Rosé
"Rosé d'Folie"
$16.99 on sale
Chateau Jouclary
Sauvignon Blanc
$11.99 on sale
Reds (65˚F):
Quinta do Encontro
Beira Atlântico
"Encontro"
$11.99 on sale
Viña Aliaga
Syrah
"Syrah Syrah"
$13.99 on sale
Baileyana
Pinot Noir
"Firepeak Vineyard"
$22.99 on sale
Grosbos Barbara
Saint Pouçain Rouge
"Chambre d'Eduard"
$15.99 on sale
Bodegas Arrocal
Ribera de Duero
"Arrocal"
$19.99
Paraiso
Pinot Noir
$19.99 on sale
La Quercia
Aglianico
$16.99 on sale
Meinklang
Zweigelt
$19.99 on sale
|
on the Enomatic
in Raleigh:
Here's what's on tap, subject to change on a whim or fancy
Whites (48º F):
Bodegas La Soterraña
Verdejo
"Olmedal"
$11.99 on sale
Hendry
Rosé
$16.99 on sale
Bodegas Arrocal
Ribera del Duero
"Rosa"
$13.99 on sale
Chateau Jouclary
Sauvignon Blanc
$11.99 on sale
Pinchinat
"Venus" Rosé
$11.99 on sale
Cave Freudenreich
Riesling d'Alsace
"Terre d'Apollon"
$17.99 on sale
Chateau de L'Hoste
Entre Deux Mers V.V.
$22.99 on sale
BaileyannaChardonnay "Grand Firepeak Cuvée" $22.99 on sale Reds (65º F): Kanonkop "Kadette" $14.99 on sale Viña Apaltagua Pinot Noir "Reserva" $11.99 on sale Altosur Cabernet Sauvignon $10.99 on sale Apaltagua Carmenere
"Envero" $16.99 on sale Ancient Peaks Merlot $19.99 Hendry Zinfandel "HRW" $20.99 on sale
Imprimata
Proprietary Red $39.99 on sale Bodegas Perica Rioja Crianza "Olagosa" $16.99 on sale Anton Bauer Zweigelt "Feuersbrunn" $14.99 on sale Chateau La Colombière Fronton "Coste Rouge" $24.99 on sale Domaine Le Garrigon Rhone Rouge "Vin de Méditerranée" $10.99 on sale Domaine du Vissoux Beaujolais Nouveau
"Pierre Charmette" $12.99 on sale Domaine du Vissoux Beaujolais Nouveau "Vieilles Vignes" $13.99 Marcel Giraudon Bourgogne Rouge Chitry Pinot Noir $17.99 on sale
Mocali
Brunello di Montalcino $49.99 on sale Bodegas Tempore Old Vine Garnacha "G" $17.99 on sale
|
Firsthand Foods
Fresh Local Sausages
- Bratwurst
- Country Breakfast
- Spicy Italian
|
 Artisan Bacon Nodine's North Country Firsthand Foods Vande Rose Farms |
Crackers
Granola
Spreads
|
Big Spoon
Roasters
Local peanut butters
8oz Jar - $9.99
16oz Jar - $16.99
or...
- Peanut Cashew
- Peanut Almond
- Penut Pecan
- Chai Spice (8oz size only)
8oz Jar - $12.99
16oz Jar - $17.99
8oz Jar - $13.00
|
|
Counter Culture Coffee
- Rustico
- Farmhouse Blend, Equador & Peru
- Tsheya, Congo
- Baroida Late Harvest, Papua New Guinea
- Remera, Rwanda
- Espresso Toscano
|
|
- Community supported farms & entrepreneurs.
- Socially & financially underutilized urban land.
- Healthy neighborhoods & thriving markets.
|
|
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:
|
Please note:
We can not be held accountable for our previous, current or future writings.
|
|
|
