Category: Events

Glendalough Wild Botanical Gin Tasting

Vintage 20 will host a Glendalough Wild Botanical Gin and Blu Giovello Moscato tasting on 8/24/18.

I used to think I hated Gin.

And maybe I did. Or even, maybe I do. What it boils down to, is that I don’t care for juniper. And in my opinion, many gins are just completely burdened with juniper. When I am trying to relax with a cocktail, I don’t need Mr. Clean walking up and punching me in the pie hole, okay? Okay.

So you can see why gin doesn’t often grace my list of favorites: Juniper is the definitive botanical present in gin, and it’s an OVERWHELMING flavor. Merry Christmas, mouth.

Over the past year or so, I’ve happily discovered a few gins that I *do* like. And, as it turns out, I REALLY like them. And they all have one thing in common: they’re light on the juniper.

This week’s selection for our weekly tasting event is probably my favorite gin EVER (I realize this could be taken with a grain of salt, since I think I enjoy three gins in total), and it’s made by Glendalough Distillery. Glendalough is located in County Wicklow, Ireland, and is known for their awesome craft Irish Whiskeys. You may have tasted some of them right here at Vintage 20.

So what makes Glendalough Wild Botanical Gin so special?

glendalough-botanicals-ginThe botanicals used to create Glendalough’s gin are foraged around the distillery. By a full-time forager. I repeat: there is a dude, employed by Glendalough Distillery, whose sole purpose for being there is to forage plants by hand, for gin making purposes. If there isn’t a History Channel show about this guy, there needs to be.

So not only is there a professional forager, carefully and sustainably collecting plants from around distillery grounds, like some sort of superior hipster-caveman, but the botanicals are going into the still within a few hours, and crafted into very small batches. It might leave some inconsistencies from batch to batch, but the result is unique, wild, natural, and delicious. And not at all like a Christmas wreath. I give it an A plus plus plus.

blu-giovello-moscatoTry it for Yourself!

We’ll have Glendalough Wild Botanical Gin available to try this Friday, 8/24/18 from 4PM- 7PM at Vintage 20 Wine and Spirits. The tasting is FREE, of course. And for fun, we will also have customer favorite Blu Giovello Moscato open as well. We’ll be offering 10% off your purchase of Blu Giovello during our tasting event. Cheers!

Mas La Chevaliere C/S and Viognier Tasting

We’re kicking it old school and tasting some classic French wines from Mas La Chevaliere Winery Friday 8/10/18.

This week, we’re sticking with the Classics.

There are many regions in the world that are perfect for wine making, but perhaps none are as classic (and yes, sometimes uppity) as the wine-making regions of France.

The wines we are featuring this week are from the south of France, where the warm Mediterranean sun and high altitudes are ideal for growing a wide variety of high quality grapes. In fact, it is one of the oldest wine-making regions in country, dating back to 4 BC, when Romans first planted vines in the Languedoc Region– the home of Mas La Chevaliere Winery.

Mas La Chevaliere Tasting Friday August 10th at Vintage 20!

la chevaliereMas La Chevaliere Winery makes many fine wines, and we’ve got two at a price that won’t kill you. You might even say they’re a great deal!

Stop by to try both the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Viognier this Friday, August 10th 2018, from 4pm- 7pm. As always, we’ll offer you 10% off your purchase of these wines during our tasting event.

The More You Know

If you’re not much of a wine drinker, don’t know much about wine, or are curious about wines and want to learn more, free tastings like the ones you can find weekly at Vintage 20 are a great way to learn about wine and see what you like– without spending any money! Plus, it’s fun, and we’re good company. 🙂 So come join us!

 

Sandara Wine Mojito Tasting

Long live the Mojito! Join us for Sandara Wine Mojito cocktails on Friday August 3rd 2018.

File this one under “I’m doing a tasting because I want to try it myself.”

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Seriously though, how delicious does a fizzy wine mojito cocktail sound? Enter Sandara Wine Mojito. Word on the street is it’s going to be another oppressively hot weekend (thanks, Climate Change!), so a refreshing combination of lime, mint, wine, and bubbles seems like it would hit the spot. So I think I’m gonna hit the deck, stick my feet in the kiddos’ inflatable pool, and have a few glasses of this bad boy.

Care to join me?

As always, the tasting is this FRIDAY (August 3rd) from 4PM- 7PM. Give it a try, and if you decide you’ve gotta have it, we will give you 10% off your purchase of Sandara Wine Mojito during our tasting event.

Stay tuned for more great tastings coming up in August! I’ll post the official calendar soon, as I am still buttoning up some items. It’s gonna be a good month at our Tasting Bar though!!

Cheers!

Party Like it’s Your Birthday

Vintage 20 will be sampling Nika Passito de Pantelleria dessert wine on Friday 7/27/18 from 4-7pm.

Because it’s my birthday on Friday!

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yay.
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So. Much. Fun.

I’m getting to an age where birthdays feel less like a celebration and more like a hassle (or a slow march toward eventual and unavoidable death, but that’s a topic for another day). Where once I would dress up and hit the town for dinner and drinks with 25 of my closest friends, I now find myself longing for  a quiet room and 15 minutes to myself. Or at least a dinner that I get to eat whilst still warm, and without taking seven exploratory trips to the public restroom with my 4 and 2 year olds.

One thing’s for sure though, I still enjoy a really nice, fancypants birthday drink, and this year, I am sharing one with you!

nikaOn Friday July 27th from 4PM-7PM, I’ll have one of my own staff picks open for tasting: Nika Passito de Pantelleria (which I can only imagine translates to something like Past the Nike Pants Store). This is a sweeter wine than I am generally fond of, but then it’s a dessert wine, and that calls for a different sort of drinking.

Nika is a golden yellow in color, and literally bursting with flavors of honey, raisins, and dates. As a dessert wine, it is pretty sweet, but that’s the idea. It goes down like a cordial, and might be a sound accompaniment to biscotti.

So if you’re ever curious about some of the more expensive wines you see on our shelves, Friday is your chance to try one of my personal favorites, free of charge. We’ll also offer you 10% off if you decide to buy a bottle for your own celebration.

 

 

And for the record, anything can call for a celebration if you believe in yourself!  Cheers, friends!

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This miracle right here definitely calls for a celebration.

KyMar Farms Distillery Tasting!

Vintage 20 Wine and Spirits welcomes KyMar Farm Distillery on Friday July 20th from 5PM to 7PM.

We are super stoked to welcome the folks from KyMar Farms Distillery this Friday for a FREE tasting event!

KyMar is yet another great local producer of wines and spirits that we are happy to support here at Vintage 20 Wine and Spirits! Right now, we’ve got their Mapple Jack, which is a delicious combination of apple brandy and maple syrup. Holy yum!

kymarWe also have their highly-rated, incredibly sought-after, small batch Malt Whiskey!!!

 

Come taste both on Friday, July 20th from 5PM-7PM at Vintage 20 Wine and Spirits. We’re a little off our regular time because KyMar is coming to do the tasting, and they’ll have other products to taste as well. Be a “Vintage VIP” and let us know what other KyMar products we should carry!

You can also head out to the distillery yourself and see what they have to offer. Check out KyMar’s website for more information.

As always, we LOVE LOCAL, and hope you’ll love supporting KyMar Farm as much as we do!

See you Friday. Cheers!

Pristine Vodka at Vintage 20!

Vintage 20 welcomes Pristine Vodka back for another great tasting Friday 7/13!

It’s your lucky day! Join us Friday the 13th for a FREE Pristine Vodka tasting!

Pristine Vodka - Liquor StoresYou’ve probably heard me sing the praises of Pristine Vodka before, and with good reason! It is hands down one of the best vodkas out there. Here’s why:

 

 

  • As owner/importer Alex Bratslavsky says, you don’t go to Ukraine for champagne, so why go to France for vodka? It’s a good point. Eastern Europe is known for its vodka, and Ukraine is uniquely suited for making high-quality vodka because of its proximity to the Carpathean Mountain Range, and it’s abundant wheat. Learn more about the quality of the ingredients here.
  • Pristine Vodka is locally imported. Probably the only thing I love more than locally made products are locally imported products. As a small business owner, I really enjoy discovering and supporting others who are pouring their blood, sweat, and tears into “living the dream” of business ownership. People who are also living their lives in our communities. Win-win-win!
  • The. Price. For the quality you’re getting, Pristine is an incredible value. We sell Pristine Vodka for just $25.99. Try finding another all-natural, premium vodka at that price point. Even if you can, I can almost guarantee it won’t be as good.

See for yourself this Friday! Cheers, friends!

July Calendar

Tastings and Specials for the month of July 2018 at Vintage 20 Wine and Spirits.

Here’s what we have in store this month for tastings at Vintage 20 Wine and Spirits. Please note that the 27th is my birthday (woot woot), so we’ll be tasting whatever it is I want to drink that day. Right now I’m leaning towards this. YUM!!

calendarjuly2018

Cutwater Cans: Part Two

Friday 7/6/18 4pm-7pm. FREE tasting featuring Cutwater pre-mixed drinks. Two new exciting flavors.

Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. We JUST did a Cutwater tasting. HOWEVER, we have some AWESOME new flavors available, and you’ve just GOT to try them!

First up is Lime Margarita.

I remember this one time when I was oh, maybe 22, and decided I’d take a train from here to California and back. It took a really, really long time. Great adventure though. Anyway, one sort of dull evening in the middle of Nebraska, they announced a drink special in the dining car: $2 margaritas.

You had me at “two dollars,” Amtrak. I am a cheap date.

Much to my chagrin, these were not real margaritas, but teeny tiny canned malt beverage margaritas. Cue my utter disappointment.

This event colored pretty much all of my expectations of canned, pre-mixed drinks. Until last year when I tried Cutwater. Because they, say it with me: ACTUALLY. TASTE. GOOD.

The margarita is no exception. It’s got just enough tequila kick to tweak your taste buds, but won’t trigger your gag reflex like some lesser tequila brands (I’m looking at you, Jose. we are no longer on friendly terms after the Tequila Sunrise Incident of 2003).

Refreshing. I feel like I’m on a beach somewhere already.

Next is the Whiskey Highball.

I feel like the stakes are pretty high(ball) when you tackle a simple classic like this one. While it seems like there isn’t enough going on to really mess things up, people can be pretty particular about what bourbon or whiskey is used, what ginger ale is used, and how much of each. It’s a delicate balance.

Full disclosure: I am not a bourbon drinker. But my husband is, and he says this one is pretty solid.

I will take his word for it.

But you don’t have to! Come in and try both of the new cocktails for yourself on Friday July 6th from 4PM- 7PM. See you there!

Be a Vintage VIP at This Week’s Tasting

Our featured wines will be Painted Pail Red and Painted Pail White, but we’ll also have two NEW wines you can try as a Vintage VIP.

Our last tasting with Pail Shop Vineyards went so well

…we’ve decided to have another!

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In addition to the super popular, light-and-sweet Painted Pail Red, we also now carry the Painted Pail White. So light and delicious, it’s practically BEGGING you to sip it on a hammock.

Both the red and white blend will be available for your tasting pleasure this Friday, 6/29/18 from 4pm-7pm. And of course, you’ll receive 10% off your purchase of either of these wines during our tasting event.

We’ll ALSO be raffling off a bottle of the Painted Pail Red Blend. Just put your name and phone number on the back of your proof of purchase (aka receipt) for a chance to win. Free stuff is always good, but GOOD stuff FREE is always GREAT!

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE

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During the tasting, we invite you to be a Vintage VIP and get the inside scoop on some new and exciting wines. We’ll have Pail Shop’s “Portrait of a Cooper” and “10,000 Wooden Pails” available to try, and we want to know if *YOU* think we should carry them. Give both a try and cast your vote Friday 6/29/18 from 4pm to 7pm.

Can’t wait to see you there. Cheers!

 

Long Neck Tasting

Free tasting of Long Neck Chardonnay and Long Neck Sauvignon Blanc at Vintage 20 Wine and Spirits on Friday 6/22/18 from 4pm-7pm.

It’s white wine season. Know how I know? It’s too hot for me to want to drink red wine.

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing quite like a bold glass of Chianti when you’re sitting under a blanket on a cold and rainy evening. But with the mercury hitting 94 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday, I think it’s officially time to stick my wine glasses in the freezer and call it summer.

In that spirit, we’ll have two nice white wines from Long Neck open for you to try this Friday (June 22nd 2018) from 4pm- 7pm at Vintage 20 Wine and Spirits. Long-neck-sauv-blanc-chardFresh, modest, and entirely drinkable, the Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are both great accompaniments to a light summer meal.

We’ll have them chilled and waiting for you! And don’t forget that you’ll also receive 10% off your purchase of these wines during our tasting event, too.

P.S. have you followed Tipsy on Instagram yet? Well what are you waiting for?

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