Friday Night Wine School - Classic Loire

Join us for our attendance-limited, signup-only Friday night tasting!  Tastings are held on the back patio with a max of 10 people per time slot.

For me, no wine region shouts "springtime!" like the Loire Valley. From crisp mineral-driven whites and sparkling wines to fresh, savory mouth-watering reds, it is the largest wine region of France and also happens to produce some of the most approachable, easy drinking wines in the world. Besides being one of the most picturesque areas of the world, the 600 mile stretch of the Loire River offers many different terroirs and climate zones as it runs from the center of France to the Atlantic. Based on those different zones, the region is divided into multiple sub regions - this Friday, David Sobiesk is joining us for Classic Loire -we will take you on a journey along the river, exploring the regions, terroirs and their wines.  *our 5th wine is TBD, I'll add it to this list as soon as I choose it

Nantais
This part of the Loire Valley includes the Loire as it runs through the city of Nantes on its way to the Atlantic where it’s joined by the Sevre and Maine rivers. The climate is oceanic: 10,300 ha under the Atlantic influence, with soils and subsoils made of igneous and metamorphic rock from the Massif Armoricain, with chiefly gneiss, mica schists, greenstone and granite. The sea takes center stage here – it provides mild and damp weather conditions, and gives the white wines from this area their distinctive fresh almost salty taste.The majority grape is here the Melon de Bourgogne. We'll taste the 2020 Domaine Michel Brégeon Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie

Anjou Saumur
Centered around the historic cities of Anjou and Saumur, this area showcases some of the most beautiful scenery in the country. The 19,300 ha of the vineyards of Anjou Saumur are under a temperate ocean climate in Anjou and mesoclimatic in the valleys, with a continental influence in the Saumur. Soils and subsoil are composed mainly of slate schist, sandstone and carboniferous shales and volcanic rocks, all from the Armorican Massif. The majority varieties are Cabernet Franc (for reds) and Chenin (for whites). You'll try a delicious Cabernet Franc, the Domaine des Roches Neuves Cuvée Domaine Saumur-Champigny

Touraine
The vineyards of Touraine are at the crossroads of oceanic and continental influences: 12,600 ha of soil and sub soils composed of tuffeau chalk and sands and flinty clay from the Paris Basin. The terraces on the banks of the Loire and Vienne consist of sands and gravels rolled by rivers and deposited over time. The majority grape varieties are Chenin and Sauvignon (for whites), Côt, Gamay and Cabernet Franc (for reds). Dave will pour a sparkling Chenin Blanc, the Domaine Champalou Brut Méthode Traditionnelle

Centre Loire
The vineyards of the Centre-Loire are located on plateaus and hillsides dating from the secondary era (mainly) and the tertiary era. Abandoned 70 million years ago by the sea, their soils today consist of a wide variety of limestone and clay sediments on which the winegrowers have chosen to plant a limited number of quality grape varieties. Although the Centre-Loire Region is very geologically diverse, the main soil types can be narrowed down to four, primarily Kimmeridgian, Portlandian, Oxfordian and Albian. The white wines are produced from Sauvignon Blanc, Chasselas and Chardonnay; the red and rosé from Cabernet Franc, Cabernet sauvignon, Gamay, Pinot Noir and Côt. We'll taste the lovely Domaine Bailly-Reverdy Sancerre Rosé La Mercy-Dieu

-We will hold our tasting outside on the patio from 5:30 PM to 8 PM on Fridays weather permitting, if it rains we move inside to the back of the shop.
-Your $5 tasting fee is refunded when you purchase a bottle of wine from the tasting. Limit 1 refund per bottle per customer.
-Please arrive 5 minutes early for you time slot as we may not be able to move you to another spot.
-No waiting in line for your taste of wine in a plastic cup and snippet of info. During your time slot you will have the presenter's undivided attention as you learn about and taste the wines from Riedel glassware.
-When your tasting is over you can browse and shop or enjoy a glass or bottle at our indoor and outdoor tables.