It's American
Cheese Month!
And by "American Cheese", we certainly don't mean soul-deadening slices of day-glo orange wax. No sir. We are referring to extremely high-quality, traditionally produced American Cheese. Cheese made by the skilled and toughened hands of proud, passionate artisans. Cheese aged under impeccably precise conditions. Cheese that tastes so good that your knees will dissolve into puddles of whey the second it hits your tongue. Wine Authorities has always sported a great cheese selection to go along with our hallowed halls of estate wine. But since the Raleigh store opened, we have been able to expand our cheesy wares beyond our wildest dreams. To celebrate American Cheese month, we're loading up on absolutely world-class cheeses produced in the United States, and many from right here in North Carolina. We will be sampling a different US cheese every Saturday this month during our regular 12-3 tastings, so stop by and get cheesy...American Style!
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Say Cheese!
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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!
Real Customer Comment:
- Elise D.
(in response to our Farmers Not Factories philosophy)
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Tasty Tuesday!
La Casaccia of
Italy's Monferrato Featuring (in DURHAM ONLY)
special guest, Margherita Rava
This Tuesday, October 14th, we present our FREE
midweek wine tasting. Every Tuesday is tasty!
Join us this Tuesday as we celebrate the wines of La Casaccia, whose specialties include three of the signature varietals of the Piemonte's Monferrato. The Barbera grape has found its way into the hearts and endeared itself to the palates of many American wine lovers, becoming one of the most popular Italian varietals in recent years. We'll also be sampling excellent examples of two grapes which are less familiar to many of us. Freisa and Grignolino are famously distinctive - both typically pale in color, firmly-structured, and generously aromatic!
We'll be joined by the estate's Margherita Rava (pictured below with her father, Giovanni) only in Durham. The three wines themselves, however, will be poured at both locations!
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
Survey the Damage...
...via Delicious Wine!
Following Napa's now infamous August 24th earthquake, we're setting aside this Saturday afternoon to survey the damages following some of the most harrowing wine-related and vintage-changing disasters in recent memory.
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2010 Earthquake Aftermath in Chile
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We'll begin close to the site of one of the most broadly-scoped catastrophes to befall any wine-producing area in the last decade. On February 27th, 1910, an earthquake clocking in at 8.8 on the Richter Scale shook the heart of Chile's wine country with devastating effects that reached far beyond the bounds of wine production and storage. Between 12 and 20 percent of Chilean bottles and barrels awaiting release (and accounting for numerous previous vintages' worth of labor) were lost in the blink of an eye. Rivers, it is said, could be seen literally running red with wine. Our ambassador wine for this tragedy is a bountiful 3-liter box of Sauvignon Blanc from Curico, one of the regions hit hardest by the quake.
 | | 2012, 2013 Flooding in Burgundy |
Our next offering hails from Beaujolais and represents a trio of vintages for Burgundy and central France which have included problems ranging from the routine to the bizarre. Beaujolais itself, for instance, had a run in with a Tornado in late August of 2013! It was the less-exotic cold, flooding, rot, and sporadic rashes of hailstorms, however, that rendered the most devastation. The 2012 Cote de Brouilly that we're sampling on Saturday was reduced to 25 cases for export. Meager quantity aside, the little bit that we've gotten our hands on is just as delicious, vibrant, and impeccably-balanced as we've come to expect from Piret!
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Napa Earthquake 2014
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On August 24th, 2014, the biggest earthquake in 25 years struck the Bay Area of Northern California: it's epicenter was just a few miles south of America's wine Mecca, the town of Napa. The quake caused severe damage to historic buildings, and many local wineries were thrown into - to put it mildly - a state of disarray. Hendry Ranch had dozens of barrels of aging wine tumble to the winery floor after the earthquake caused their racks to collapse. Only a few barrels broke open, which caused a huge mess but luckily meant that most of their wine remained safe and intact, although some of their old barriques are now stained an implacable shade of purple. Life (and wine) goes on, and the Hendry team has almost finished harvesting the grapes that will make up their 2014 vintage. We have their 2012 Pinot Noir lined up for you as part of this tasting...
 | | Grapes and Leaves Ravaged by Hail at Libian |
We'll end our adventure in the northwestern reaches of the Southern Rhone among the vines of of the heroic Mas de Libian. The estate's hard work, biodynamic principles, and (most importantly) remarkably characterful wines have made sure that the Thibon sisters and Nestor, their famously handsome horse, always occupy a very special place in our hearts. Following smaller-scale calamities that limited their yields (in 2012) and damaged a large cross-section of their harvest (in 2011), the September of 2014 brought with it a violent hailstorm which threatened to devastate their vineyards - and just prior to harvest. It appears the damage may not be quite as bad as originally thought, and we're eagerly awaiting more news. Meanwhile, the estate plows ahead with typical gusto (see below)!
Viña Apaltagua
Sauvignon Blanc [3-L!] 2013
[sustainable] 100% Sauvignon Blanc
(Curico, Chile)
PINEAPPLE & GRAPEFRUIT, RIPE & JUICY, BOLD & REFRESHING
Sauvignon Blanc is one of Chile's most sought-after specialties, and the Loire Valley native does excellent work in the nation's Valle Central. Arguably the antithesis of the cold-climate offerings associated with New Zealand's Marlborough or France's Sancerre, these distinctly more tropical renditions...
Domaine Piret
Cote de Brouilly 2012
[sustainable] 100% Gamay (Beaujolais, France)
BLACK RASPBERRY, VIOLET & IRIS, SLATEY MINERALS
Deft hands in the winery meet with the perfectly ripened fruit from 65 year-old vines grown in some of the finest blue shale soils in all of Beaujolais; a recipe for serious, elegant wine. Clean, slatey minerality runs through bloomy, floral aromatics and soft rich fruit like veins of precious ore glistening in a mountainside. See that? This wine made us paint a pretty picture in your mind. We can't help it with Gamay this good..."
100% Pinot Noir (Napa, California) LIGHT SMOKY & FLORAL AROMAS, VIBRANT LIGHT CHERRY FRUIT
Hendry Ranch lies in the "transitional" climate area between cool Carneros and the sun-baked plains of the lower Napa Valley. This lovely wine lies - quite appropriately - in the transitional spectrum between the bright acidity of Burgundy and the full-fruit approach of Californian pinot noir...
Cotes du Rhone 2012
"Khayyâm"
{biodynamic} 80% Grenache,
10% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre
(Southern Rhone, France)
RASPBERRY, ROSEMARY & SPICE, EARTH & DARK CHOCOLATE
"Drink wine. This is life eternal," famously wrote the ever beauty-seeking Omar Khayyam, and 800 years later, his attitudes and observations resound with timelessness. The Thibon sisters of Mas de Libian have named this delicious cuvée after the 12th century Persian poet and philosopher, and its exotic perfume of rosemary, lavender, and cocoa combine with violet-fruited romance in a sublimely exotic...
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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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