Dear Feastlings,
They’re all varietals that we have at least a passing familiarity with, but most of us never get to find out what they taste like. Why? Because customarily, they’re considered blending grapes. Semillon can lend a honeyed note to Sauvignon Blanc; Graciano and Tannat can give a little backbone to Rioja and Bordeaux, respectively- you get the idea. The hard part is that we seldom get to taste these varietals as a dominant grape in a wine. Until this Saturday, that is. On Saturday, February 26, we’ll be pouring four wines that are bottled as single-varietal wines, all of which are grapes we usually only see as blending grapes- grapes we (sometimes mistakenly) regard as one-note varietals meant to enhance another, dominant grape in a wine. Our tasting is both in-person and virtual, and if you call us at 326-9363, we’ll set aside a seat for you, or samples for you to pick up, and we’ll all meet on the screen at 2:00 pm. The tasting is, as per usual, $15 plus tax and tip, and we’d be delighted to have you participate.
The tasting begins on zoom at 2:00 pm on Saturday, February 26. The Zoom meeting number for the tasting is 849 7781 7549, and the passcode is 802321.
You can find the tasting order and the pricing here.
The soloist
2019 Tyrrell’s Semillon, Hunter Valley
2019 Alpha Zeta Corvina, Veneto IGT
2019 Rio Madre Rioja (Graciano,) DOC Rioja
2018 Callaghan Tannat, Arizona