Our number one staycation white
Staying home this summer? Not headed to Napa? We've got the perfect white to start your summer. No matter what the calendar says, summer's here and we're ready. Really ready. It's time to sit outside and enjoy the fire pit and a long cool glass of red or white.
We're wild about the Honig Sauvignon Blanc, one of the most underappreciated Napa treasures made. Let 'em all talk about Napa Cabernets, this outstanding Napa white proves that whatever Bordeaux knows about growing Sauvignon Blanc near Cabernet, the geniuses at Honig have figured out too.
With just enough herby lemongrass in the nose to really appeal, this is definitely dry enough to handle those salmon filets you're grilling. (Sustainably farmed.)
HONIG SAUVIGNON BLANC 2007, Napa $14.97 (save 12% - regular $16.95)
Huge savings on classy Aussie white
Just right for spring parties, we've got a terrific deal on Lindemans Bin 65 Chardonnay. This classy Aussie Chard is internationally recognized as one of the best value-for-money whites anywhere in the wine world.
Lindemans takes advantage of a wide array of growing sites in Australia's southern states to source their grapes. This allows them to maintain a consistent style of wine vintage-to-vintage. There are aromas of melon, tropical fruit, peaches and nectarines. A subtle note of spice completes the package. The taste is full bodied and soft with bright flavors of pineapple and fig. The palate is creamy and smooth with light touches of spice that define the long finish.
This is another famous Australian winery founded by a doctor who believed firmly in the medicinal benefits of wine. Our prescription: take two bottles and call us in the morning!
LINDEMANS BIN 65 CHARDONNAY 2006, South Eastern Australia $4.97 (save 41% - regular $8.49)
Quite likely the world's best Chianti
Reprieve! We told you a couple of weeks ago you had only a few days to act on this screaminig-good deal. But then we got word that we could get a little more before the price increase. This won't last long - act now, before the price goes up.
For an elegant Tuscan meal, Monsanto's Chianti Classico Riserva is a big favorite. Full of ripe Chianti flavors of cherry fruit, this vintage received 90 points from Robert Parker with this review:
"The 2005 Chianti Classico Riserva reveals a profile of red berries, herbs, crushed flowers and spices. The wine possesses an attractive up-front personality and finessed tannins. In this rain-plagued vintage Monsanto did not produce its Riserva Il Poggio, and the best fruit from that site was added to this Riserva bottling, which was aged in a variety of used French oak barrels. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2017." This is wine to buy by the case!
MONSANTO CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA 2005, Tuscany $19.97 (save 17% - regular $23.95)
Great under-$6 Italian find / Stock up on this by the case
Funny, but every time I look at this I want to call it Chianti.  Sure, it’s a great version of a soft, everyday Sangiovese, but for some reason I can’t get the word Chianti out of my head. Medium-bodied, with just enough fruit to handle a steaming bowl of fettuccine, this is one of our favorite benchmark reds for the winter months.
Emilia Romagna lies just to the north of Tuscany and the reds made here from Sangiovese, the king of Tuscany, are a little softer and rounder than their Tuscan cousins. At this price, it’s an absolute steal. (anje)
NOBILI DEL BORGO SANGIOVESE DI ROMAGNA 2006, Italy $5.97 (Save 57% regular $13.95)
The message is in the bottle
And this new winery concept is helping to put it there.
Since 2005, Pannotia Vineyards has set their sites on discovering the world's underappreciated grapes and creating new, elegant versions of each one.
Pannotia [pa-noh-TEE-uh] means "all the world is a single continent." Their goal is to pull unique grapes from each continent, produce wonderful quality high-value wines, and then to unite them under a single label.
Certainly one of the world's least known white grapes is Torrontes. Most likely the result of a hybrid created from Muscat of Alexandria and Criolla Chica (Mission in California), Torrontes produces incredibly aromatic, yet light, dry white wines. Fruity, floral and yet still dry, this wine has to be tasted to be believed.
Pannotia's riper style of Torrontes offers light notes of orange zest, green apple, lemon, and peach. With this wine, At this price, it can't be beat.(anje)
PANNOTIA VINEYARDS TORRONTES 2006, Cafayate Argentina, $6.97 (regular $14.95)
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You asked - we found them 
The horseradish lover's dream. Crunchy, sweet and hot, pickle chunks packed in a spicy brine, loaded with horseradish. Dick's Perky Pickles really pack a
whollop! Terrific for a snack, with aged cheeses, salami or a ham sandwich, they're so good, some of us have been known to polish off half a jar.
DICK'S PERKY PICKLES 16 ounce jar, Wheeling, IL $5.99
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Finally in cans - enjoy a great U.S. ale
This is no secret - I'm a big fan of Fat Tire. Never really knew it until I tried it on tap on a trip to Colorado.
And I certainly didn't know I liked "Belgian-style" ales. Had a few, they never really clicked. These guys really know how to pack just enough flavor into a bottle (whoa ... now it's in cans!) to make the end of a long day tasting wines just right. And now that we can get it in cans, I predict a summer of some serious aluminum recycling on my block.
Due to shipping limitations, we are unable to sell this item online, but you can order it via email and we will hold it for you to pick up in our store.
FAT TIRE AMBER ALE, Ft. Collins, Colorado $17.97 (save 10% - regular $19.95 / 12-pack)
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Screwpull Lever Model 400 - the perfect holiday gift!
 Two things I confess. First, I like gadgets, but second, I can be downright cheap about some things.
Sure, corkscrews vary tremendously. But I was happy with my "rabbit-type" until it broke.
Naturally, I could never understand paying over $150 for a corkscrew that wasn't silver-plated. How much better could the Screwpull 400 be than the $25 - $50 lever corkscrews?
But then I tried it. And the cork came out so fast and so easily, I had to try it again. And then once more. This is one of the best devices I have in my home. I swear, every time I use it, I can't help smiling at how well it works.
Synthetic corks (which broke my rabbit-style lever model), long corks, composite corks - they all pop out and then pop off the corkscrew when I want them to.
Amortized over the number of bottles we drink per year (I'll let you guess), it isn't that much per "pop". And what a satisfying "pop" it is! (Ben Rooks)
SCREWPULL LEVER MODEL 400 $99.97 (regularly $149.95)
To order, click here to send us an email. |
 
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Northwest phenom
The next Napa? Well, maybe the good parts without the hard-to-get-into restaurants and the art-gallery wineries.
No question about it, Washington's Columbia Valley stands a good chance in the next decade of giving Napa a real run for its money as the natural home of America's greatest Cabernets. And Merlots. And Bordeaux blends.
One of the professors in this master class of great berry and cigar-box nuance is Martin Clubb, winemaker and co-owner of Ecole 41. Known for their complex Merlots, this Cabernet has everything I'd expect out of a Cabernet from the Golden State at $10 to $15 less.
L'ECOLE 41 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2006, Columbia Valley $32.97 (save 8% - regular $35.95)
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Schaefer's Wines, Foods & Spirits 
