Tag: wine tasting

Cavicchioli Lambrusco. ‘Cause Mama needs a DRANK

Vintage 20 Wine and Spirits is hosting a FREE tasting on Friday 9/14/18 from 4PM-7PM featuring Cavicchioi Lambrusco.

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That’s not coffee.

Guys, it’s only Wednesday, and school has only been in session for a week. My brand new kindergartner is adjusting to real-deal public school, and so am I. It’s going pretty well really, and although she’s come home with a few choice words from the bus, I’m pretty sure she already knew them. So that’s a plus.

But for whatever reason, it’s been a rough week-or-so around these parts. So for this week’s tasting, I wanted something food-friendly, easy-drinking, and CHEAP. I think I knocked it out of the park with Cavicchioli Lambrusco. Effervescent and lightly sweet, this table wine goes great with barbeque, take out, or any quick throw-together meal you can think of. It’s great cold, so it works well on those September days that you think are going to be chilly, but then find yourself sweating through by the time you get home.

And parents, you deserve it. Not in the “My kids are driving me to drink meme” sort of way, but in the “it’s nice to relax with a glass of wine at the end of a stressful day” sort of way. Don’t let anyone take that away from you!

cavicchioli lambrusco tastingSo stop by at the same Bat time, same Bat channel: Vintage 20 Wine and Spirits, Friday 9/14/18, 4PM to 7PM. We’ll pour you a sample and if you likey, you’ll receive 10% off your purchase of Cavicchioli Lambrusco during the tasting event. If you don’t like it…have a dumdum. Free for kids of all ages. 🙂

Hope to see you Friday. Cheers!

Santa Rita Coleccion Privado Chardonnay

Vintage 20 will have Santa Rita Coleccion Privado Chardonnay available at our free tasting Friday 9/7/18.

Hello friends and stealth followers of the Casual Wine Taster blog. And hi, Mom. Did you miss me last week? You will quickly discover on this blog that I am the sort of person for whom when it rains, it pours. And when it pours, it’s a hurricane. That often means that my anal-retentively carefully planned days are often laughed at, chewed up, and spit out by fate, and I’m left shrugging over WTF JUST HAPPENED.

Folks, the past couple of weeks have been those sort of weeks. Soooo much, planned and unplanned, happened. This morning I am taking a deep breath and realizing that I neglected to post last week. Shame on me.

I am back at it today though, with just a quick little note about our upcoming tasting this Friday. School’s back in session, so I know everyone is experiencing that acute pain, felt deep in the wallet, after school clothes and supplies (and books! For those of you who are or who have college students), so this Friday we will be sampling something that really fits what I find myself wanting right now: inexpensive, unassuming, and good with food.

santa-rita-coleccion-privada-reserva-chardonnaySanta Rita Coleccion Privada Reserva Chardonnay is a mouth-full to say, and a delight to drink. It’s soft, light on the oak (y’all know I HATE an over-oaked chardonnay), and inexpensive. Perfect for a weeknight indulgence with Chinese Takeout. Or a turkey sandwich, if you’re feeling extra culinary this week. I am feeling neither of those things, and will likely take my chardonnay with popcorn and a half-eaten bag of fruit snacks, because hey, you only live once.

So if you’re feeling it, stop by Vintage 20 Wine and Spirits this Friday, September 7th from 4PM to 7PM for your FREE sample of Santa Rita blah blah blah Chardonnay (the tasting bar is open too, BTW), and then if you decide you LOVE it, relax because we’ve got you with a two for one special. Hope to see you there! Cheers!

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!

Los Hidalgos Moscato and Catalina Sauvignon Blanc Tasting

Los Hidalgos Moscato and Catalina Sauvignon Blanc Tasting at Vintage 20 Wine and Spirits 8/17/18.

Heya folks! Today’s note is a super quick one, because I am doing THIS all week…

campfire

…weather permitting. So, you know…just the once, so far. ANYWAY. I’m not much feeling like being on the computer long enough to tell you more than the basics, which are:

Friday August 17th 2018

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House of the Chilean Wine will be here sampling Catalina Sauvignon Blanc and LosHidalgos Moscato from 4pm- 7pm. These are both great, wallet-friendly, light and delicious wines from the fabulous country of Chile! Stop by and try them both. You’ll receive 10% off your purchase of these wines if you buy them during our tasting event.

Hope to see you there!

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!

celebrate-the-ordinary
This miracle right here definitely calls for a celebration.

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!!

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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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