Meet our Newest Wines

There’s some new bottles in the wine nook! Check them out below and come on in to grab a few.

South African Chenin Blanc

While Chenin Blanc is synonymous with France’s Loire Valley, 50% of the world’s Chenin is grown in South Africa. This grape does everything! It makes still and sparkling wines, and runs the spectrum from dry and crisp to supple and sweet dessert wines. We’ve added this Waterkloof Chenin (with the bright green cap) to our collection replacing the Frisk Prickly Riesling. Have no fear, you can find the Frisk all around town.

Why Chenin from South Africa? We love Chenins from the Loire (usually labeled as Vouvray or Saumur), but we’ve got a soft spot for these richer versions. The softer mouthfeel and rounder flavors is unexpected and delicious and because of the climate in which these are grown, they retain a nice zing of acidity, so they never feel flabby on the mouth. Expect honey, chamomile, stone fruit and citrus thanks to the warmer climate. These wines are ageable if you’ve got the right type of storage and develop a unique hazelnut aroma after years of bottle aging.

Our kitchen’s lemon tarragon chicken, mac and cheese, and chicken and egg salads are the perfect match for this wine. It’s also

also perfect with asparagus, which is notoriously difficult to pair.

Be to serve it nice and cold. And yes, it’s okay to throw an ice cube in your glass. Want it to chill faster? Wrap it in a wet paper towel, pop it in the freezer and wait for the paper towel to get crunchy. Voila!

Vin Santo

We love offering something different, so in addition to Sauternes, we’ve got another dessert wine. We’ve stocked a limited amount of Vin Santo. Like our Sauternes selection, it comes in a split (half bottle). This natural wine is made in Italy, mostly in Tuscany, and is a viscous delight with notes of caramel, vanilla and hazelnut. Enjoy it very cold with biscotti or cheese. In Italy, biscotti is actually dipped in Vin Santo, instead of into hot coffee, for a truly delicious treat. If you’ve never tried dessert wines, don’t be afraid, the natural sugars in them offer incredible texture, aging capabilities and make them lots of fun for pairing with both sweet and savory items. If you like ice wine, you’ll love Vin Santo.

Mullineux Straw Wine

Another Chenin Blanc from South Africa, this one has quite a bit of residual sugar making it viscous, soft and round. It’s a high-quality, premium offering so we have it in half bottles. After the grapes are harvested they’re left in the shade to raisin, raising the ration of sugar to moisture. The wine then ferments for nearly a year. The result is a very complex drinking experience to be enjoyed with friends and goat cheese. We recommend adding a little jam or honey to goat cheese on warm baguette or coffee but this wine pairs equally well with poundcake and shortbread if you’re craving something sweet.

Red Wine From Portugal’s Dão Region

The Dão region of Portugal is known for delicious red wines made from Touriga Nacional. This red wine gives lots of black fruit and spice on the palate with the zing of red raspberries on the palate. It’s one of our favorite red grapes and we love this bottle, especially. If you’ve had Touriga Nacional from the Duoro, be prepared for a slightly different experience. The Dão’s climate and soil are a little different. The wines are lighter and more acidic with lots of floral notes.

This is a great wine to practice tasting with because of its complexity. You’ll notice boysenberry, tea, violets, raspberry and more.