Greetings! 
October:
It's On!
October is here, and it brings so many dubious reasons to celebrate! Not only is it National Pizza Month, it's National Seafood Month and National Cookie Month. We've got wines to go with all those things! And just have a look at the free tastings that we've cooked up for the next few weeks! And of course we are just SO glad that it's FINALLY National Sarcasm Month. We really need THAT, right? We hope you have a great October, and whether you need a robust Champagne to celebrate your favorite virus on the third, or a yeasty Muscadet to go along with your moldy cheese on the ninth, we've got you covered. Hmm, we feel like we forgot to mention some other major holiday in October... Oh well!
The Loire
With fall and October comes the annual hibernation of our Rosé Garden, but as we've all learned very well, it will spring to life with renewed vigor in its plethora of refreshing pink hues next year. In the meantime, discover, rediscover, or just plain fall in love with some of our current favorites from France's Loire. This massive 600+ mile river and its many tributaries are home to a network of wine regions brimming with autumnal romance! We have erected monuments made of Loire Valley wines in our Durham and Raleigh stores to help us sing the praises of these fall-friendly delights, and this weekend's Saturday tasting explores the revered corner of the Loire that is Sancerre!
Real Customer Comment:
"I never shop at [insert unwieldy wine chain's name] anymore since I discovered this place."
- Stephanie C.
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Tasty Tuesday!
Puglia:
We're digging
the heel...
This Tuesday, October 7th, we present our FREE
midweek wine tasting. Every Tuesday is tasty!
Italy's stiletto-shaped peninsula and the heel-like landscape to its immediate northwest are home to some of the nation's most distinctive wine specialties and esoteric varietals. Join us at our next Tasty Tuesday for the opportunity to sample one of our newest arrivals, an exotically perfumed, waxy, and elegantly subtle white blend of three grapes (one a Croatian native which happens to be the daughter of Dalmatia's most famous contribution to the world of grapes, Zinfandel). Next, we've arranged a meeting with Zinfandel himself, who we'll find hiding in plain sight under his older and southern Italian nom de plume of Primativo. Finally, we'll wrap things up with a remarkably friendly, smooth rendition of Aglianico, a denizen of volcanic soils that we typically find in Campania and Basilicata. Che magnifico!
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!
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This Saturday from 12 to 3 PM
in Durham & Raleigh
To be found in the eastern reaches of France's sprawling Loire Valley and smack in the nation's center are the gentle contours of what is arguably the world capital of Sauvignon Blanc. Sancerre, however, isn't simply the origin of some of the most famously mineralistic, elegant examples of the fashionable yet timeless white grape. It's a notable producer of vibrant reds and refreshing rosés made from Pinot Noir. In fact, Pinot Noir and Gamay were the grapes most closely associated with the region until fairly recently. Gamay disappeared around the turn of the 20th century courtesy of the devastating aphid, phylloxera. Sauvignon Blanc's rise to prominence in the region began in the early 1950s and had, within a couple of decades, all but replaced Pinot Noir as "the grape" of Sancerre.
Join us this Saturday as we explore the region's present, look to its past, and ponder its future. More importantly, taste some glorious (and miraculously affordable) examples of white, red, and rosé Sancerre - sincerely!
Domaine Michel Girard
Sancerre Rosé 2013
100% Pinot Noir
(Sancerre, Loire Valley)
TANGY STRAWBERRY, HAUNTING MINERALITY, HERBACEOUS UNDERCURRENTS
Pinot Noir is what we might call the other grape of Sancerre. For very few of us does the appellation's name evoke thoughts of the regal red grape, but its presence in Sancerre predates that of the region's contemporary star, Sauvignon Blanc. While the reds are a rarity (accounting for significantly less than 20% of the region's production), the rosés are even more seldom-encountered...
Domaine Michel Girard
Sancerre Blanc 2013
100% Sauvignon Blanc (Sancerre, Loire Valley)
RICH & RIPE, LIGHT MINERAL, SAVORY HERBAL NOTES
Winemaker Philippe Girard says this about his wine, "pungent fresh grassy aromas mingle with riper citrus-style fruits, rounder and fuller in the mouth but nevertheless finishing with a pure intensity and zippiness that you'd expect in classy Sancerre. Sauvignon Blanc at its best!"
Sancerre Blanc 2013
"Nackenheimer"
{sustainable} 100% Sauvignon Blanc (Sancerre, Loire Valley) GRAPEFRUIT & SOARING FLINTINESS, DILL & WHITE ASPARAGUS, GOOSEBERRY
Cedric Bardin's tiny estate, which straddles both shores of the Loire river (one foot gently kicking up Poully-Fuisse and the other planted in Sancerre), is a source of some of these regions' most remarkable values. The domaine's two-hectare holdings in Sancerre account for less than 20% of its total production, allowing for an unparalleled focus...
100% Pinot Noir
(Sancerre, Loire Valley)
GLEAMING BLACK CHERRY &
RED FRUIT, MINERAL,
HERBACEOUS SPICE
Sancerre may have become essentially synonymous with bright, mineralistically profound Sauvignon Blanc, but the lesser-known reds hailing from this easterly extreme of France's seemingly endless Loire Valley are gems of quite another hue. Beautiful companion pieces to Sauvignon's peridot, these elegantly gleaming Pinot Noirs are deep, translucent garnet...
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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
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
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on the Enomatic
in Raleigh:
Here's what's on tap, subject to change on a whim or fancy
Whites (48º F):
Cooper Mountain
Pinot Gris
$19.99 on sale
Reine-Juliet
Syrah / Grenache Rosé
$11.99 on sale
Bodegas Los Frailes
Monastrell Rosado
$9.99 on sale
Eric de Suremain
Rully 1er Cru
$29.99 on sale
Clos Lapeyre
Jurançon Sec
"Mantoulan"
$38.99 on sale
Netzl
Chardonnay
$19.99 on sale
Cave Freudenreich
Riesling
"Terre d'Apollon"
$17.99 on sale
SteinRiesling "Blauschiefer" $19.99 on sale Reds (65º F): Bodegas Arrocal Ribera del Duero $19.99 on sale Mas Granier "Cuvée Psalmodi" $11.99 on sale Paul D Zweigelt $12.99 on sale Laetitia Pinot Noir $26.99 on sale Terrabianca Dolcetto d'Alba "Brichet" $16.99 Tre Ricci Cabernet Sauvignon $29.99 on sale
Bodegas Los Frailes
Valencia Monastrell $9.99 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 Occhipinti "Il Frappato" $34.99 on sale Domaine Magellan Hérault Rouge
"Le Fruit Défendu" $11.99 on sale Brutocau Merlot "Bliss Vineyard" $22.99 Merietta "Old Vine Red" $14.99 on sale
Hartwell
Cabernet Sauvignon "H" $49.99 on sale Laurent Combier Crozes Hermitage "L" $26.99 on sale
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Firsthand Foods
Fresh Local Sausages
- Bratwurst
- Country Breakfast
- Spicy Italian
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 Artisan Bacon Nodine's North Country Firsthand Foods Vande Rose Farms |
Crackers
Granola
Spreads
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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
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Counter Culture Coffee
- Rustico
- Farmhouse Blend, Equador & Peru
- Tsheya, Congo
- Baroida Late Harvest, Papua New Guinea
- Remera, Rwanda
- Espresso Toscano
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- Community supported farms & entrepreneurs.
- Socially & financially underutilized urban land.
- Healthy neighborhoods & thriving markets.
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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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