Oceanique, the finest fish place in Evanston, will be hosting a Summer "White Out" Wine Dinner TOMORROW, on Wednesday, July 25, 7:00 pm. The evening will feature music from the Beatles' White Album and will consist of 6 courses paired with a series of delicious French white wines, from the Loire Valley, the Rhone and Alsace. Cost of the dinner is $125 - please call the restaurant at (847) 864-3435 to reserve your spot!

Stop by the store this Saturday between 11 AM to 5 PM and join the fun as we sample some great summer snacks, beer and wine. It's always a good time. We are particularly excited to also be featuring wines from a great Napa winery, Calistoga Cellars, where they offer reds that carry a true, rich Napa style without the $60 pricetag. Hope to see you then.

In case you missed it two weekends ago, we had a visit from Rob Wetzel of Alexander Valley Vineyards. This winery has a special spot in the Schaefers' affections: in addition to being a family-owned and run winery, also now on their third generation, Schaefer's third generation (Anje) worked there for some time, learning the other end of the wine biz! We're happy to feature some of their wines in this week's Say Vino: the New Gewurz is always a store favorite - spicy and floral and made in a drier style similar to the great wines of France's Alsace region, this wine is full of pear and citrus flavors and works well as either an aperitif or with the meal. It's a particularly good match for spicy Chinese food and is available now for $8.97.

 

Their Chardonnay is elegant, creamy and layered with aromas of pear, apple and spice complimented by notes of vanilla and allspice contributed by aging on its lees in French oak barrels. The wine exhibits great minerality along with butterscotch and a touch of spice and is a terrific choice for a fine summer white. It's available now for $13.97.

 

Finally, their Redemption Zin is 100% Dry Creek Valley fruit, giving it classic aromas of ripe blueberries and spice and flavors of blackberries, black cherries and black pepper. This is a wine that seems tailor-made for barbecued ribs. While there's often debate about whether Zinfandels are really crafted for aging, Winemaker Kevin Hall says this is one that could easily cellar for 5 to 9 years - but only if you buy some now, since it flies off the shelf whenever we can get hold of it! It's available now for $26.97.

Our allocation of Sarah & Sparky Marquis's new line, 'Mollydooker', has finally arrived. These wines come from some of the best grape growing regions in South Australia: McLaren Vale, Langhorne Creek & Padthaway. They hand-select from the finest vineyards and the wines are a true testament to their commitment to excellence in the winery and to their vineyard program. These extremely popular wines are among the most exciting to come from down under in years, so don't miss out!

Two Left Feet Shiraz/Cabernet/Merlot 2006 is available in extremely limited quantities at $19.97 per bottle, and we have a larger number of The Boxer Shiraz 2006, also priced at $19.97. Please call or e-mail the store today to place your order.

That's all for this week. If we may be of any further service, please stop by our store at 9965 Gross Point Road in Skokie (for directions, click here), visit our website at http://www.schaefers.com, give us a call at 847-677-WINE (9463), 800-833-WINE (9463), or click here to contact us.